Vin Jaune. “Isn’t it time you wrote an article about Vin Jaune”, someone said to me recently? I’m not sure whether it has any mystique to people new to wine today, but when I first became seriously interested in the 1980s, I was aware of it and something planted a seed that one day I must find out what it was. I think it might have been a photo of Château-Chalon in a book by Michael Busselle called “The Wine Lover’s Guide to France”. Busselle, who sadly died twenty years after he had published this book, was an award-winning photographer, not a wine expert, but I followed many of his wine routes of discovery through viticultural France.

At this time, we visited Burgundy every year, and one spring we decided to visit Arbois for the day, merely after looking at the map. It looked hilly and wooded, with a nice river gushing down from the plateau above. We rocked up mid-morninbg and did what everyone else did back then, after breathing deeply the scent of woodsmoke. We entered the portals of Henri Maire, whose tasting room and shop back then pioneered Arbois’s plethora of direct sales outlets to the few tourists who ventured to the Jura region back before it became fashionable.

Arbois from the Hermitage Chapel

France could be very snooty about Jura wines. Even a decade ago Parisian friends could barely contain a laugh when we used to tell them where we were going for a holiday. No beach, no ski slopes (partly untrue) and no proper wine (though tourist-crowded Beaune is a mere hour away). More fool them.

The first Jura wines I bought included a Henri Maire Château-Chalon 1976, although we didn’t drink it until many years later. It was pretty good, as it turned out, even though it was not the first Vin Jaune I drank, nor close to being the best. That Jura visit stuck in our minds and come the early 1990s, and for many years right up until Covid, a visit to Arbois would become pretty much an annual event.

Sometimes we would stay in a small gîte just outside the town, where our young children could play in the shallow stream which ran through its lovely garden as we sipped Vin Jaune with walnuts and Comté on the terrace. Most likely we would have been sipping Vin Jaune from Maison Rolet, or Domaine de La Pinte. The former made Vin Jaune in, purportedly illegal, half-Clavelins, the traditional bottle for Vin Jaune containing 62cl (the bottles are actually stamped 65cl on the base, but we won’t digress down that path). The halves were affordable. Even back then, Vin Jaune was never cheap…relatively.

This is probably the time for a little appellation law, but not too much. Vin Jaune (literally yellow wine) must be made wholly from the Jura region’s signature white variety, Savagnin. It is what the French call a Vin de Voile, meaning a wine made under a veil of yeast (called flor in Spain, cf biologically aged Sherry). Vin Jaune is far from being France’s only vin de voile, nor indeed the world’s only rendition, but the Jura is the only wine region where production of a wine of this unfortified and oxidatively aged style is common, and indeed seen as an important cultural icon. Unlike Sherry, Vin Jaune is, it is important to remember, not fortified.

Vin Jaune has peculiar and complicated production rules covering everything, including which wine may be set aside for Vin Jaune and which wine makes it through the ageing process to become one. The wine must be aged in oak (usually old oak barrels) without them being topped-up, until 15 December of the sixth year following the vintage, and a minimum of sixty months of that must be under a voile of yeast. The yeast will, the winemaker hopes, grow naturally over the surface of the wine as it ages in contact with air in the cavity left in the cask. The yeast layer in Vin Jaune is much thinner than that found in a Fino or Manzanilla cask.

The wine can then be bottled but it cannot be sold until after 1 January of the seventh year after harvest. This is why it is easy to mistake a newly-released Vin Jaune for a wine with bottle age. It is important to understand this because most Vin Jaune on release will benefit enormously from further bottle age. Many producers leave their wine in barrel longer than the minimum.

I should perhaps mention that all Vin Jaune should be tested by the appellation’s technicians, looking (inter alia) at levels of acetic acid, which is one way of assessing the action of the yeast on the wine during its oxidative ageing. The veil of yeast in Vin Jaune is thin compared to that found in biologically aged Sherries, and it does occasionally break up or disappear completely. Wine not topped-up may, without the protection of flor, easily turn to vinegar.

One aspect of production worth mentioning is the type of ageing cellar used. Some winemakers age their Vin Jaune in traditional underground cellars, very cold in winter. Others use lofts where the temperature is higher. Many of course favour a mix of both to bring greater complexity to the wine, and it’s fair to say that you can’t always count on wines aged above ground as the ones that will necessarily be ready to drink sooner. Especially with modern, temperature-controlled facilities.

Vin Jaune has four appellations which can appear on the label. The first three, Arbois, Côtes du Jura and L’Etoile, will appear after the prefix Vin Jaune. Château-Chalon appears on its own. Some consider Château-Chalon the finest of the Vin Jaune wines, and it is true that some extra rules make such an argument tenable. But as always, it is the producer who counts. Several top names who have estates outside of Château-Chalon now have vines within that AOC.

The taste of Vin Jaune varies enormously, as can its colour. The classic note is usually walnut, but then you run the whole gamut of lemon, fenugreek, ginger, peat (whisky?) and coffee to name just a few. It will get more complex with age, when the high acidity of youth will mellow (though remember that drinking wine with cheese may lower your perception of the acidity of a young Vin Jaune).

Flor consumes sugar, so that, paired with high acids, will give a wine tasting bone dry. The finish should linger for minutes. If the wine fails to taste bright and fresh, often accompanied by bruised apple notes, it may well be over the hill (at whatever age). Alcohol levels are most usually between 13-15 %, remembering that this is unfortified wine.

Before looking at individual Vin Jaune producers it is worth looking at what to drink it with. As I have alluded, it is often drunk as an aperitif, with cheese and nuts. Locally it will be Comté and walnuts, which I can’t imagine being topped as a combination. The wine should be drunk no colder than cellar temperature, but it is considered more than mere ritual among connoisseurs to stand the bottle up for a few days, to open it to breath (in a cool, dark, place) for at least twelve, if not twenty-four hours before pouring, and to serve it at room temperature. My choice of glass is a Zalto Universal, filled no more than a quarter full, though some may consider me too modern. There is, as far as I know, no patented Vin Jaune glass yet produced.

If you wish to serve Vin Jaune with a meal, it does go rather well with one of the finest dishes created in France, namely poulet au Vin Jaune et morilles. Despite its name I think it honest to say that most chefs make this dish using a bottle of good oxidatively aged Savagnin table wine, merely finishing the dish with a dash of VJ. The real thing is so expensive these days that it makes little sense to pour it into the cooking when you can charge 200€ or much more for an accompanying bottle off your wine list. Many restaurants will serve it by the glass, thank goodness.

The other great Jura dish is the Morteau sausage, but this speciality is usually better served by a Trousseau or Poulsard red wine. However, Vin Jaune goes well with many dishes made with chicken, pork or rabbit where it has a cream sauce, likewise mushrooms (especially wild morilles and ceps). Perhaps I serve it most with a cheese course, one that preferably just highlights three different ages of Comté.

What of the producers? I would very broadly divide them into four types for my own amusement, as in Traditional producers, larger yet still worth pursuing producers, newer names, and the natural wine gurus. Of course, some of the first three may fall into that last camp. The recommended producers below are wholly subjective suggestions. You will certainly be able to buy Vin Jaune cheaper than these, and you may not find all of them in the UK.

Tradition

Domaine Macle: This is the name most aficionados of the pre-natural wine era think of as the height of yellow wine sophistication. Although many think this estate has been going since the 1600s, in truth Jean Macle began working a hectare of vines within the appellation of Château-Chalon (and a couple of hectares in Côtes du Jura) in the 1960s. However, the house and its magnificent cellars do date from the 17^th century, and Laurent Macle will always stress the importance of ageing over viticulture and vinification in producing the finest wines sous voile. Unsurprising when you see their ancient cellars. Wink Lorch highlights peat as a Macle trademark. Certainly, this element seems to come out with time, and of all the Vin Jaune wines I know, this can transport me to Islay, though with less alcohol. Expensive but worth it.

Domaine Berthet-Bondet: This is another family affair and, if not quite so hard to source in the UK as Macle, make Château-Chalon wines every bit as worth finding. I tasted some of their wines at the Mike Bennie Jura Masterclass (see article of 7 June), but their Château-Chalon comes as a rare treat. Jean and Chantal founded this estate in the mid-1980s and have around 4 hectares for their yellow wine, planted in several of the appellation’s best known individual sites. These are immaculate Vin Jaune wines.

Jacques Puffeney: I chose Puffeney because he exemplifies the old timers. Jacques retired some years ago, selling his vines to the then Burgundian interloper who created Domaine du Pélican. However, he kept his old stocks as his pension fund and it is still possible to find his wines. His Vin Jaunes seem to combine richness, finesse, and intensity and his cuvée called Delphine is among the finest VJ’s I have drunk. His Savagnin aged under voile may only see a couple of years of oxidative ageing but it is both legend and a bargain.

Larger Producers Well, it’s all relative but this producer’s Vin Jaune is definitely worth purchasing…

Domaine de la Pinte: The domaine is south of Arbois but they have a shop in the town, almost opposite the Michelin Two-Star Maison Jeunet. This large, 35 ha, estate was the first to go biodynamic in the Jura, under cellar master and director Bruno Ciofi in 2009-10, but it has been owned by the Martin family since Roger Martin founded it in 1952. The family apparently owned the company which built France’s original autoroute network. The wines to look for here are older Vin Jaunes. They may be available at the Arbois shop, or even older from the domaine (they will fetch some over if necessary, just ask what they have). In 2019/20 they had wines from the 1980s on sale, and I have even seen (but unfortunately not tasted) VJ from my birth year in their special locked cellar room for their rarities.

Newer Names Also relative…

Stéphane & Bénédicte Tissot: I used to visit Stéphane’s parents, André and Mireille, after whom the domaine is technically still named, and I met this star in the making almost as soon as he’d got back from his international winemaking education. The whole of Australia credits Brown Brothers as his inspiration, but he’s very much a natural winemaker following a biodynamic regime, and as he farms over 50 ha of vines, that is some achievement.

Are his Vin Jaunes (and now Château-Chalon) his finest wines? Possibly not, I reserve that accolade for his finest Chardonnays myself, but they are excellent and, more importantly, the different cuvées do highlight different terroirs and slight differences in winemaking. As a Château-Chalon outsider, I think his rendition of that wine is fascinating. “En Spois” is the Arbois Vin Jaune I have drunk most vintages of, and it is one which usually drinks well without too much bottle age.

Domaine de la Tournelle: Despite the sad and tragic passing of Pascal Clairet during the Covid pandemic, La Tournelle continues under Evelyne’s direction, as does their small lunchtime summer bistro by the Cuissance. Their Vin Jaune is one which I can drink young, and this is another producer which always makes great oxidative Savagnin, whether Vin Jaune or not.

Natural Wine Camp:

Of course, I would have to name Jean-François Ganevat and Alice Bouvot (Domaine de L’Octavin) as the exemplars of the natural wine Vin Jaunes, but that may not help you very much. Ganevat makes remarkable Domaine Vin Jaune, but the last time I purchased a bottle (from Les Caves du Forum in Reims) it cost 50€…this was back when a bottle of Tissot would have been 20€-30€. It is now way beyond my purse at around £140-£150 a bottle (although I am told he does do half-clavelins, at least for the US market).

Alice Bouvot doesn’t make Vin Jaune as such, because all her wines are bottled as Vin de France, but her “Cherubin” is one of the most striking wines made in this style. It bears the distinction of having lower than usual alcohol for VJ in most vintages and (I’m not sure whether this is still the case) is bottled as 75cl. I’ve seen it in a bottle that looks very much like a clavelin, and also in a bottle that does not. I have never seen any on sale in the UK, but ask Tutto Wines, Alice’s UK importer.

Then there is Labet. Let’s not even go there. The world discovered Labet well after Ganevat, but now their wines are perhaps even harder to source. Julien makes wines as good as any, but the family has a long tradition with Vin Jaune. One of my first came from his parents, Alain and Josie. What memories.

However, there are a number of other producers who make fantastic Vin Jaune, of which to name just a few personal favourites would include…

Domaine des Bodines: This small family vineyard is on the road out of Arbois, on the edge of town, towards Dôle. Alexis and Emilie Porteret run this exquisite domaine, with I think still under five hectares of vines. They only began to make Vin Jaune from the 2011 vintage but their first wine, of which I have so far only drunk one bottle, shows enormous promise.

Domaine de St-Pierre: This domaine was set up by Parisian-born, successful Dôle-based lawyer, Philippe Moyne, but was taken over by his vineyard manager, Fabrice Dodane, when Moyne died prematurely in 2011. Fabrice quietly built up the domaine’s reputation as a fine producer of low-intervention natural wines, much of that reputation gained and recognised in the UK. Any wine from this domaine is worth grabbing, not least his Vin Jaune.

Domaine de la Touraize: This is something of a wild card. André-Jean Morin has a reasonably-sized 12 ha vignoble around Arbois, some being in fine sites, including Savagnin planted in Petit-Curoulet. Both J-F Ganevat and Fabrice Dodane also have vines here, situated in the rolling hills on the other side of the N83. The first Touraize Vin Jaune was made from these vines from the 2013 vintage. This is a very amiable couple who I have met on the natural wine fair circuit a few times and whose wines I always enjoy. They have (or had) a shop in Arbois, down on the Rue de Courcelles (near the former La Balance Restaurant), but I have never seen it open.

Pretty much all the new “superstar” winemakers have a stab at Vin Jaune eventually, and I would jump at the chance to buy from any of these. I would include those made by Philippe Bornard, whose Vin Jaune I know well. Of course, his son, Tony, now makes the wine and I am yet to try Vin Jaune created by his hands. However, Philippe was known to make some very long aged VJ cuvées which saw eight or more years under flor.

I must also mention Nicole Deriaux (Domaine de Montbourgeau). She is the queen of L’Etoile, a village most famous for its Chardonnay wines, to the west of Poligny. When Nicole took over from her father, she had a hankering to try to make Vin Jaune. If what she produces can seem in a lighter style, don’t let that fool you. These are elegant wines which age magnificently.

You will find a number of producers who make Vin Jaune which sometimes comes to market perhaps less expensively than those I have recommended. If you want to try Vin Jaune but can’t stretch to the prices charged by many of the above there are still options. Caves Jean Bourdy is widely available in the UK and US. They make both Vin Jaune and Château-Chalon, from a base at Arlay, to the west of Château-Chalon. Domaine Bernard Badoz, now run by son Benoît, is in Poligny. He makes excellent Vin Jaune which is often overlooked. Whilst few UK retailers sell more than one VJ, I have seen both these producers’ wines in The Sampler (London).

Another source for Vin Jaune, run by a couple who now have a lot more in their own cellar than I do, is Lymington’s Solent Cellar. They currently list Bornard (£120), an old Perron 1982 (£250), Pignier (in a mixed case offer), and often have Berthet-Bondet in stock. Always worth giving them a call as Simon knows his Vin Jaunes.

Finally, a mention of Frédéric Lambert. When I tasted his Château-Chalon “En Beaumont” 2013 at Mike Bennie’s Jura Masterclass in Sydney recently, I didn’t know his wines at all. He’s been farming from Toulouse-le-Château since 2003, and he has been making wine from his small plots at Château-Chalon since the 2007 vintage. Quite an easy-going version without the complexity of the big hitters, but P&V in Sydney were charging $156 (about £75) a bottle. Considering that was about half the price of the Tissot Vin Jaunes they stock, my guess is that these wines would be good value if you can find them in the UK or in France.

If you want to go off-piste, back in 2019 I tasted a remarkable wine at Les Caves de Pyrene’s Drinking Outside the Box Tasting. Marie-Pierre Chevassu is a fine producer of Jura wine just north of Château-Chalon. This, however, was a Chardonnay Sous Voile from 2017. The layer of yeast under which this wine was aged was very thin, and the ageing period was not very long, judging by the vintage, and when I tried it two years later. Just a hint of oxidative winemaking here, but a remarkable wine (see also Australia, below). I cannot explain why I never bought any. Of course, Marie-Pierre also makes very fine Château-Chalon.

Voile Wines from Further Afield

Jura isn’t the only place you find wines made under flor. A couple warrant mentioning from within France, as does one I know (apparently there are others) from Australia.

Vignobles Guillaume is part of a family business in Franche Comté, the region next to Jura, which supplies vines. Pépinières Guillaume is based in Charcenne, northwest of Besançon on the way to Gray. This department is hardly known for wines (although there are hidden vineyards in the strangest places, even on the Swiss border, but that’s another story). All of this producer’s wines are very good, especially Chardonnay and a Savagnin Ouillé, which goes by one of the Swiss names for this variety, Païen. There is also a Vin Jaune lookalike made from Savagnin, named Cuvée des Archevêques. I’ve bought the Guillaume wines from Theatre of Wine in London in the past.

The most famous French Vin de Voile from outside of the Jura is probably that of Gaillac producer, Domaine Plageoles. They make tiny quantities of a Mauzac version, which sees seven years under flor. It’s quite different to a Jura Vin Jaune with scents of orange, dried fruit, apple, and clove. I know this has been sold by Les Caves de Pyrene in the past. I have tasted more Vin de Voile from the Gaillac region but it was too far back to be able to find a record.

Last but not least, Australia. Brash Higgins “Bloom” is a belter of a wine made by Brad Hickey, native of Chicago turned winemaker, and lucky husband of local vigneronne Nicole Thorpe, based in McLaren Vale, South Australia. The current 2015 (the third vintage of Bloom, following on from 2008 and 2012) is made from McLaren Vale Chardonnay matured under flor, in oak barrels previously used for maturing white wine in Burgundy, for (obviously) six-and-a-half years.

I think production is only 75 cases from 2015, and it will cost a little over $150 in Australia. I haven’t yet seen a bottle in the UK but Brad is over here as you read this, so we live in hope. His UK agent is Berkmann Wine Cellars. Bloom is a bit of a secret, but I know one or two wine writers who have scored it very highly. It has scents and flavours of orange with ginger spice, a wine of some elegance, good acids, and great length.

You haven’t mentioned Spain, I hear you say? Well, I’ve already given you close to 4,000 words and what has been developing in Spain with unfortified Palomino would take another article. Equipo Navazos perhaps popularised making table wine from Spain’s main Sherry variety with their Niepoort collaboration in 2008, followed by Florpower, a flor-aged unfortified Palomino wine, in 2010. Since then, we have seen a number of world class wines created by other producers which have become highly sought after. I’m sure many readers know them well, especially as the ideal time to drink them is upon us.

Vin Jaune tastes wonderful at any time of year!

For further reading there is only one source in English you really need to own, Wink Lorch’s Jura Wine (2014, Wine Travel Media). If you are reading this article you probably own it. If not, it doesn’t feel out of date today despite the rollercoaster past decade in the region, though a second edition would do me nicely.

Looking just at Arbois, you can buy (in French) a handy little guide, “Arbois aux Vignobles Lumineux” from the wine museum in the town (Château Pécauld), which itself is a rainy day activity, once you have visited the Pasteur Museum.

The following maps are worth investing in:

The Promenades et Randonées “Jura L’Inattendu – Arbois Vignes et Villages” (1:25,000, or 1cm=250m) is available from the Arbois Tourist Office (and sometimes the newsagents). Great walks, including Arbois to Montigny-les-Arsures and then via Vauxelle to Mesnay, from above the Hermitage to both Pupillin and Les Planches, and La Châtelaine to La Fer a Cheval (including the castle ruins and usually a herd of chamois) being our favourites (with adaptations).

The IGN Série Bleue Salins-Les-Bains Arbois, Number 3225 O (1:25,000) complements the above for driving. Further maps in the series cover other Jura towns (Poligny and Lons, with Château-Chalon in between, are covered by 3226 ET).

Unfortunately, if you want a contextual route map you will require two of the IGN Tourisme et Découverte (green series) maps, 136 covering most of the region but Arbois and much of its vignoble just slipping onto 137. These are at a scale of 1:100,000 (1cm=1km).