Thanksgiving has come and gone, but there are still opportunities galore to plug today’s elegant, woodsy Jura red into your seasonal wine lineup. If you love red Burgundy, this wine will become your new favorite: It is, after all, made just an hour east of Beaune.
Your typical holiday meal is going to require some layering, and Poulsard is the lightweight, comfy cashmere sweater you pull on before adding the big parka later. We are big fans of Domaine des Ronces, whose wines not only ooze Old World authenticity and soul but showcase clean, careful winemaking: All of the quirky charms of the Poulsard grape are on display in today’s 2018, which is the kind of delicious, gulp-able red that disappears quickly but lingers on in your memory nonetheless. Whether as an easy-drinking counterpoint to a rich, wintry dish, an apéritif-weight red to lift your spirits and whet your appetite, or just about any application in between, this Poulsard is ready for anything. If you don’t have much experience with this unique, light-skinned variety, Domaine des Ronces is here to jump-start what will surely become a lifelong appreciation: Its wild berry fruit and delicate minerality float across the palate as if on a cloud, not unlike how an older red Burgundy does. Stock up on this, because it’s impossible to stop at one!
We’ve been fans of Domaine des Ronces for a long time. Founded in 1950, patriarch Georges Mazier started the estate on its way with a single hectare of Chardonnay. Thirty-six years later, his son, Michel, added five more hectares to their holdings, including their first block of Poulsard. Michel began pivoting to organic farming in the early 2000s, followed by his son, Kevin, who took things a step further by incorporating biodynamic teas, composts, and tinctures (he is responsible for the incredibly difficult work of achieving Domaine des Ronces’ official Demeter certification in 2016). Today’s wine comes from Poulsard vines planted in 1986, deeply embedded in red marl and clay soils studded with limestone. Poulsard grapes grow in small bunches of large, thin-skinned berries that impart famously delicate color. Kevin’s hand-harvested, biodynamically grown, old-vine Poulsard is vinified with native yeasts before an extended maceration, a short aging in neutral oak and concrete, minimal filtration, and the lowest sulfur levels possible.
Commonly misunderstood as a mountainous region, the Jura is actually a narrow valley in the remote hills between Burgundy and Switzerland. Like Burgundy, it used to be a former sea. Walk through the vineyards and you’ll see bone-like chunks of limestone imbedded in the soil, each from a different period: Bathonian, Bajocian, lower Jurassic. But unlike Burgundy, the Jura is nestled against the dramatic uplift of a mountain range by the same name. The roots of those mountains form the canyons, steep slopes and valleys that traditionally necessitated a range of grape varieties to suit a range of microclimates and soil types. The Jura’s wines are subsequently shaped by their land, their soil, and their deeply imbedded sense of regional pride. Their unusual geography means the Jura has existed in splendid isolation, unaffected by their neighbors, developing their traditional wines for centuries in a gorgeous petri dish of their own remoteness.
But things are different now. The wines are too good to be drunk in seclusion forever, and the Jura has been cracked open by international appetite for their inimitable creations. Today, you’d be hard-pressed to find a serious wine list that doesn’t feature at least one traditional Juracien variety. And they’re not all Sherry-like Vins Jaunes (“yellow wines”), either. Poulsard’s popularity shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who's tried it—there’s nothing quite like it, although if I were to describe it I’d call it a cross between serious Gamay and Sicilian Frappato.
So, first off, don’t let the color surprise you: Poulsard is famously light. In the glass, it displays a pale rhubarb color with pink and orange reflections, like a sunset in your glass. The aromas, meanwhile, seem disproportionately potent: wild strawberries, orange peel, and fresh-turned earth rise up to meet your nose after a single swirl. If the color wasn’t a dead giveaway, you might mistake this for a spicy Vosne-Romanée. On the palate, there’s a perfect balance of leafy underbrush and fresh porcinis versus hot cranberry sauce. It’s not diffuse or in any way sweet, though; there’s a stony Jurassic minerality to keep the fruit in line. Medium plus acidity and almost imperceptible tannin make for a fresh, mouthwatering finish that lasts longer than you might expect from such an innocently colored wine. The lift and acidity of this Poulsard beg a richer meal. Try a clay-pot cassoulet, stocked with all those rich, secretive bits of pork that melt in your mouth. It’s nice to have a hearty meal enlivened by the vivacity and playfulness of this extremely versatile wine. Don’t be afraid to cellar a few bottles for up to five years and they’ll keep you company for many long, wintry dinners to come.
