For those who, like us, are on a perpetual hunt for the world’s most unique wine-drinking experiences, we’ve got a special one today. Vigneron Les Matheny’s Arbois Poulsard ticks every box: a rare Jura red wine in a region far more famous for its whites, produced in painfully tiny quantities. Poulsard practically doesn’t grow outside the tiny commune it calls home, and it offers a spectrum of red fruit and fallen leaf flavors irreproducible outside this tiny corner of the world. But even for the Jura, this Poulsard is unique. Where most are wispy, almost rosé-like pale reds, Les Matheny’s brings a density, seriousness, and ageability you don’t see in many other examples. Today’s wine is so easily delicious we’re pretty sure we could happily drink it every day. Yet, unlike so many other Poulsards, it’ll also easily develop for years and years in your cellar. If you hadn’t gathered yet, Les Matheny’s Poulsard isn’t something we see often stateside, so who knows when we’ll be able to offer it again. Stock up!
In the already small Jura region, the village of Arbois is practically microscopic. It covers fewer than 17 square miles, and barely 3,000 people live there. Yet it’s the heart of Jura winemaking for one simple reason–this is where the region’s best wines are produced. Climatically it’s somewhat similar to Burgundy, but with cooler overall temperatures thanks to its location in the foothills of the Jura mountain range. Vineyards can be perilously steep, imbuing the wines with a certain mineral density and almost rustic edge. And while you’ll find plenty of delicious Arbois Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, it’s the two red grapes Poulsard and Trousseau that really mark the region out as special.
Poulsard in particular is unlike little else in the world of wine. Frankly, it sounds like a nightmare to grow. It’s early budding, meaning it’s prone to spring frosts. It’s susceptible to pretty much every grape disease there is, especially botrytis. And yields are always painfully low. But one taste of Les Matheny’s example of the variety and you’ll get just why Jura vignerons have stuck with it for over 600 years. Les Matheny owner Emeric Foléat has a special touch with the grape. That’s not a surprise, as he learned at the feet of one Jacques Puffeney. Puffeney is more or less the reason you see Jura reds on every great wine list around the world; 15 years ago, his weren’t just some of the first Poulsards we saw in the states, but also hands down the best. Puffeney managed to marry Poulsard’s delicate tendencies with a seriousness most didn’t think the variety capable of, and decades-old bottlings of Poulsard continue to drink beautifully today. Jacques mentored Emeric for 10 years, and when the time came for Jacques to retire, Emeric took over the Puffeney cellar and continued the traditional mode of winemaking.
Emeric ferments his Poulsard for 3+ weeks, far longer than most other producers, before moving it to very old barrels. He then ages it for 18 months and bottles unfined and unfiltered. The results are simply stunning. It’s a deep ruby color, and the nose reads as something like a cross between Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo: crushed red cherry, blood orange zest, plum skin, sandalwood, black pepper, forest floor, freshly turned earth. While some Poulsards can be on the “funky” side, there’s none of that here. The palate is firmly medium-bodied, emphasizing the juicy red fruit before moving into more cedar-like tones, with a fine-grained tannin profile you rarely see in Poulsard. Like great Burgundy, it combines power and grace in an almost unbelievable fashion. And like great Burgundy, it’ll go for as long as you let it in your cellar. Do like we did, and load up.
