About an hour’s drive east of Beaune, at the base of the French Alps, is the Jura—the most talked-about wine region in France right now. Characterized by some as Burgundy’s country cousin (which is a pretty accurate way to describe the Jura’s lean, rustic, earthy takes on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), the Jura is also a trove of distinctive native grapes and unusual, ultra-traditional wine styles.
The re-discovery, as it were, of the Jura’s many charms is emblematic of our renewed appreciation for hands-on, small-scale, ‘farmstead’ winemaking. The Jura is not a ‘wine lake’ overrun with big corporate players working at scale; it’s a place where vignerons are more like gardeners, working tiny plots with horse-drawn plows and living right above their cellars. The Jura puts the “country” in wine country, which also means that most wines are produced in minuscule quantities. Such is the case with one of our favorite Jura producers, Domaine de la Tournelle, whose allocations we await with the impatience of children on Christmas morning. Due to the limited number of bottles received, we have decided to offer their “Fleur de Savagnin” (white) and “Trousseau des Corvées” (red) as a two-pack, a unique way to experience one of the region’s greatest artisans. However, we must limit each customer to a maximum of 3 (2-packs) until the wine sells out. The last time we offered Tournelle, the wine sold out in record time. Unfortunately, only about 20 cases of this vintage were imported into California, and we simply can’t get enough!
Evelyne and Pascal Clairet created Domaine de la Tournelle in 1991. They now farm about 15 acres of vines, incorporating organic and biodynamic practices, and are based in Arbois, where they also own a small bistro. The village of Arbois lends its name to the appellation in and around it, and most of the Tournelle wines carry the Arbois AOC. Their vineyards are planted to all of the classic varieties of the region, including the bracingly acidic Savagnin—the grape used in the region’s oxidative, Sherry-like white called vin jaune—and the lightweight local reds Poulsard (sometimes spelled Ploussard) and Trousseau.
The delicious, delicate red in this two-pack is crafted from Trousseau sourced from a small vineyard named “Les Corvées,” composed of Jurassic grey marls soils and ideal southern sun exposure. The grapes are hand-harvested, fully destemmed, fermented with gentle extraction, then aged in old oak barrels before being bottled without fining or filtration. The 2014 has a pale ruby red color moving to a pink rim. The aromas are driven by wild strawberry, freshly pressed black cherries, pomegranate seeds, fresh pink flowers, fresh herbs, wet forest floor, mushrooms and various exotic spices. How a wine so light and willowy can have such deep, lasting flavor is beyond me. It’s as soft as silk, with flavors of fresh wild berries, underbrush, lavender and fresh flowers. And while it is great right out of the bottle, another year or two of bottle age will really allow it to blossom. While reminiscent of Pinot Noir, it carves its own inimitable path.
The “Fleur de Savagnin” white, meanwhile, is what’s called a “topped up,” or “fresh,” style of Savagnin: whereas vin jaune is produced by not filling barrels completely, which allows a Sherry-like voile, or “veil,” of yeast cells to form on the surface of the juice, vin ouillé (“filled up”) whites are produced like any other ‘normal’ dry white. Fleur de Savagnin is pressed in whole clusters in a gentle pneumatic press, then fermented in cool tanks using indigenous yeasts. Aged only in neutral oak, the 2013 is an electric, piercingly mineral (and, considering that it usually retails for only $35 a bottle, underpriced) white wine. The color is a pale golden yellow moving to green reflections along the edge. The nose exhibits aromas of crushed hazelnut, dried yellow apples, Bosc pear, dried acacia flowers, beeswax, oyster shells and a hint of white mushrooms. The palate is dense with similar flavors to the nose, along with a perfect tension between texture, minerality, and acid; in the spirit of the Tournelle Trousseau, this Savagnin is reminiscent of white Burgundy—texturally in particular—but ultimately goes its own way. This wine should be briefly decanted, then served in large Burgundy stems at cellar temperature alongside a wheel of melting Epoisses and a loaf of French bread. It will age gracefully for the next 5-7 years but is also delicious right now.
There’s simply nothing else that compares to these wines. Grab some before they disappear for another year!
