«
Jura
,
France
Arbois
Pasteur's Funky Lab
Louis Pasteur cracked the code on yeast right here, and locals haven't stopped experimenting since. It represents the beating heart of Jura, pumping out everything from ethereal Poulsard to that legendary nutty Vin Jaune.
Louis Pasteur cracked the code on yeast right here, and locals haven't stopped experimenting since. It represents the beating heart of Jura, pumping out everything from ethereal Poulsard to that legendary nutty Vin Jaune.
Louis Pasteur cracked the code on yeast right here, and locals haven't stopped experimenting since. It represents the beating heart of Jura, pumping out everything from ethereal Poulsard to that legendary nutty Vin Jaune.
Taste profile
Nutty Tang
Pale Reds
Bruised Apples
Savagnin rules the roost with its nutty, oxidative tang that tastes like curry spices and walnuts had a baby. But don't sleep on the reds. Poulsard delivers pale, cranberry-juice-colored wines that confuse your eyes, while Trousseau brings a darker, spicy, earthy kick. Chardonnay here gets a bit weird too, often leaning into bruised apple notes rather than the butter bombs you might know from elsewhere.
Savagnin rules the roost with its nutty, oxidative tang that tastes like curry spices and walnuts had a baby. But don't sleep on the reds. Poulsard delivers pale, cranberry-juice-colored wines that confuse your eyes, while Trousseau brings a darker, spicy, earthy kick. Chardonnay here gets a bit weird too, often leaning into bruised apple notes rather than the butter bombs you might know from elsewhere.
Savagnin rules the roost with its nutty, oxidative tang that tastes like curry spices and walnuts had a baby. But don't sleep on the reds. Poulsard delivers pale, cranberry-juice-colored wines that confuse your eyes, while Trousseau brings a darker, spicy, earthy kick. Chardonnay here gets a bit weird too, often leaning into bruised apple notes rather than the butter bombs you might know from elsewhere.
The vibe
Storybook Village
Hipster Heaven
Secret Club
Picture a storybook village that time forgot, nestled in green valleys near the Swiss border. It is remarkably chill compared to Burgundy's stiff upper lip. You'll find wine bars full of hipsters and old farmers clinking glasses of translucent red wine. It feels like a secret club where everyone knows the password is just liking weird, wonderful fermented grape juice.
Picture a storybook village that time forgot, nestled in green valleys near the Swiss border. It is remarkably chill compared to Burgundy's stiff upper lip. You'll find wine bars full of hipsters and old farmers clinking glasses of translucent red wine. It feels like a secret club where everyone knows the password is just liking weird, wonderful fermented grape juice.
Picture a storybook village that time forgot, nestled in green valleys near the Swiss border. It is remarkably chill compared to Burgundy's stiff upper lip. You'll find wine bars full of hipsters and old farmers clinking glasses of translucent red wine. It feels like a secret club where everyone knows the password is just liking weird, wonderful fermented grape juice.
Who's who
Retired Pope
Burgundy Invaders
Natural Deities
Jacques Puffeney was the Pope here, but since he retired, Guillaume d'Angerville from Burgundy swooped in to create Domaine du Pélican. For the natural wine crowd, Stéphane Tissot and Pierre Overnoy are practically deities. If you want to impress a sommelier in New York or Tokyo, mention you have a bottle from Domaine de la Tournelle stashed in your suitcase.
Jacques Puffeney was the Pope here, but since he retired, Guillaume d'Angerville from Burgundy swooped in to create Domaine du Pélican. For the natural wine crowd, Stéphane Tissot and Pierre Overnoy are practically deities. If you want to impress a sommelier in New York or Tokyo, mention you have a bottle from Domaine de la Tournelle stashed in your suitcase.
Jacques Puffeney was the Pope here, but since he retired, Guillaume d'Angerville from Burgundy swooped in to create Domaine du Pélican. For the natural wine crowd, Stéphane Tissot and Pierre Overnoy are practically deities. If you want to impress a sommelier in New York or Tokyo, mention you have a bottle from Domaine de la Tournelle stashed in your suitcase.
LOCAL TALES
Science in a Bottle
Science in a Bottle
Science in a Bottle
Before he was pasteurizing milk, Louis Pasteur was obsessing over Arbois wine. He bought a vineyard here to study fermentation and prove that yeast wasn't just magic dust falling from the sky. He actually conducted experiments on wine preservation that saved the French industry from collapsing. Locals are fiercely proud that the father of microbiology spent his summers here figuring out why their juice turned into vinegar or nectar. You can even visit his house, which has been preserved exactly as he left it, complete with his creepy little laboratory tubes and notes on how to keep wine from spoiling on long sea voyages.
Before he was pasteurizing milk, Louis Pasteur was obsessing over Arbois wine. He bought a vineyard here to study fermentation and prove that yeast wasn't just magic dust falling from the sky. He actually conducted experiments on wine preservation that saved the French industry from collapsing. Locals are fiercely proud that the father of microbiology spent his summers here figuring out why their juice turned into vinegar or nectar. You can even visit his house, which has been preserved exactly as he left it, complete with his creepy little laboratory tubes and notes on how to keep wine from spoiling on long sea voyages.
The Yellow Wait
The Yellow Wait
The Yellow Wait
Making Vin Jaune is an act of pure faith mixed with a bit of neglect. Winemakers put Savagnin into a barrel and then ignore it for six years and three months. They don't top it up. They just let a layer of yeast called the veil form on top to protect it from turning into salad dressing. It evaporates like crazy, which is why they use the clavelin bottle - it holds 62cl, exactly what's left of a liter after the angels take their share. It is high-stakes gambling where the prize is liquid gold that can age for a century.
Making Vin Jaune is an act of pure faith mixed with a bit of neglect. Winemakers put Savagnin into a barrel and then ignore it for six years and three months. They don't top it up. They just let a layer of yeast called the veil form on top to protect it from turning into salad dressing. It evaporates like crazy, which is why they use the clavelin bottle - it holds 62cl, exactly what's left of a liter after the angels take their share. It is high-stakes gambling where the prize is liquid gold that can age for a century.
Gold Rush Festival
Gold Rush Festival
Gold Rush Festival
Every February, thousands of people brave freezing temperatures to celebrate the release of the new vintage of Vin Jaune. The Percée du Vin Jaune is a traveling party that rotates villages to release the new vintage. It involves a massive parade, a ceremonial tapping of the barrel, and a whole lot of day drinking in the cold. Founded in 1997, it has become a global pilgrimage for geeks who stumble through the snow looking for their next fix of that oxidative goodness. It is arguably the wildest, coldest wine party in France.
Every February, thousands of people brave freezing temperatures to celebrate the release of the new vintage of Vin Jaune. The Percée du Vin Jaune is a traveling party that rotates villages to release the new vintage. It involves a massive parade, a ceremonial tapping of the barrel, and a whole lot of day drinking in the cold. Founded in 1997, it has become a global pilgrimage for geeks who stumble through the snow looking for their next fix of that oxidative goodness. It is arguably the wildest, coldest wine party in France.
LOCAL WINE STYLES
Jura Vin Jaune
Imagine biting into a walnut while smelling a curry spice jar inside an old French cellar. It is an acquired taste that defies modern freshness, offering deep, savory layers of flavor that last forever on your palate.
Imagine biting into a walnut while smelling a curry spice jar inside an old French cellar. It is an acquired taste that defies modern freshness, offering deep, savory layers of flavor that last forever on your palate.
Jura Light Red
Pour this into a glass and you might swear it is a rosé, but take one sniff and you are deep in damp woods. It tricks your eyes but delivers savory, earthy goodness on the palate.
Pour this into a glass and you might swear it is a rosé, but take one sniff and you are deep in damp woods. It tricks your eyes but delivers savory, earthy goodness on the palate.
LATEST REVIEWS