Let’s return to Jura, France – virtually, bien sûr – this time to explore another of the region’s “godsaken” grapes and an oxidative winemaking process known as sous voile (“under the veil”).
By “godforsaken,” I’m referring to Jason Wilson’s Godforsaken Grapes: A Slightly Tipsy Journey Through the World of Strange, Obscure, and Unappreciated Wine. In the appendix, the author lists 101 lesser-known grape varieties and notes this list represents less than 8% of the 1,368 known wine grapes. Cam at Culinary Adventures with Camilla recently led a Twitter (#Winophiles) chat about some of the lesser-known grapes of France.
In Part I, I focused on a red blend of Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir from the Arbois Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), or subregion, of Jura. But I was curious about the Savignin grapes used to make Vin Jaune (“yellow wine”) sous voile. Before the pandemic closed all Pennsylvania state stores, I was able to locate a bottle of this strange wine for strange times.
Get ready for geekery!
Jura is a small wine region in eastern France between Burgundy and Switzerland. Four of the region’s AOCs specialize in Vin Jaune: Arbois, Côtes du Jura, Etoile, and Château-Chalon. The Château-Chalon AOC is restricted to producing Vin Jaune only and is more tightly regulated. Naturally, the Vin Jaune from Château-Chalon is considered to be the highest quality.
Vin Jaune is made from 100% Savagnin, a grape grown since medieval times in the Jurassic-era, marl soils of Jura. Savagnin is a white variety in the Traminer family but less aromatic than the better-known Gewürztraminer. Thick-skinned, late-ripening berries and high resistance to disease make Savagnin popular among winemakers in Jura. More than 20% of Jura vineyards are planted to this obscure grape.
Here are the steps to produce a Vin Jaune wine (Sources: Jura Wine, Food and Travel; About Sherry; Wikipedia; Domaine Maire):
- Grapes are picked in late October when the sugars have developed enough to reach an alcohol level of 13-15% in the finished wine. Only rarely are berries affected by Botrytis (noble rot). Acidity must be high (pH at a low 3.0-3.1) to withstand long years of aging. Chaptalization (addition of sugar) is allowed when necessary.
- The must is fermented slowly in not-too-cool, stainless-steel tanks, often followed by a short period of maturation on the fine lees (dead yeast).
- A year to 18 months after harvest, the wine is transferred into small (60-gallon) oak casks at least five years old. These older barrels keep the wine from becoming too oaky. Barrels are not filled entirely or topped up. They are stored in well-aerated and preferably dry cellars with wide temperature variations to allow for slow evaporation. No racking or any other handling takes place during the minimum six years that a Vin Jaune remains in barrel.
- After a time – typically two to three years – a layer of yeast, the voile (veil), appears on the surface of the wine, similar to Sherry’s flor. These slight levels of oxidation provoke chemical changes that produce acetaldehyde as well as ethanol (standard alcohol). Winemakers must carefully monitor the wine throughout the aging process to avoid the risk of volatile acidity, a wine fault. Once the voile forms, it partially protects the wine from further oxidation and promotes the nutty and austere flavor profile associated with Vin Jaune.
- After the required time in barrel, only about 62% of the original wine remains. The Vin Jaune is then bottled in 21-ounce, squat bottles called clavelins. Historically, the bottle size alludes to the amount of wine left over after six years of aging and evaporation. For the export market, traditional 750-ml. bottles are also used.
The wine – 2011 Domaine Henri Maire Grand Vin du Jura Savagnin – Sous Voile Arbois AOC
Domaine Henri Maire was founded in 1632. Generations of family members built the estate into one of the largest in the region covering more than 500 acres of vineyards in Château-Chalon, l’Étoile, and Arbois.
Grapes from both young and older vines are used to produce the domaine’s Vin Jaune. According to the producer, young vines bring exuberance, freshness and acidity to the finished wine, while older vines give the wine its structure and character.
Young vines are located on steep slopes. To avoid erosion, workers cultivate every other row, practice “soil reassembly” to aerate the lands, and grass over with plants such as clover to control vigor and yield. The Guyot training system is used to keep vines high off the cold, damp ground. Grapes are harvested mostly mechanically, but also manually for young vines.
My tasting notes: Golden yellow in color. Highly aromatic with a blend of honey, toasted walnuts, and burnt apple. Palate is dry and buttery with an immediate hit of bitter almond. Complex, savory flavors – suggestive of spicy chicken broth liberally seasoned with paprika – unveil themselves slowly. Tingly, medium+ acidity persists on the sides of the tongue throughout a long finish. An acquired taste, to be sure. Alcohol: 11-14%. Price: $24.99.
Wine writers often compare Vin Jaune to dry, crispy, and yeasty fino sherry. Vin Jaune reminded the spouse of a Malmsey we opened several years ago. Malmsey is a fortified dessert wine made in Madeira from the Malvasia family of grapes. The two wines do have a similar aroma profile. But unlike Malmsey, the Vin Jaune is dry and also spicy.
The pairings
Night 1 – Comté cheese omelets, chickpea salad with cumin vinaigrette, sweet potato fries.
Before settling on a pairing menu, I read reviews describing a cumin note in Vin Jaune. I didn’t detect cumin when I evaluated the wine, but I love the spice and thought it would add savory flavor to a vegetarian meal. Besides using cumin in the chickpea salad, I gave a generous shake of cumin, paprika, and black pepper to the fries. A traditional pairing for Jura wines is the region’s mild and nutty Comté cheese that I chose for the omelets. Together, the various components of this meal eased the wine’s austere palate – for me, anyway. Spouse was unimpressed.
Night 2 – Vegan refried bean dip, White-wine Coq au Vin, rice, broccoli.
I declared Night 1 a success and could have stopped there. But following conventional wisdom, I decided to pair the Vin Jaune with chicken for Night 2. To enhance the pairing, I researched recipes that call for adding white wine to the sauce. Coq au Vin – yes! But none of the recipes was exactly what I was looking for, so I improvised and used some key ingredients I had on hand: mushrooms, garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, parsley, chicken broth, and of course, the Vin Jaune. Check out this easy white-wine Coq au Vin for full details. It was a worthy match for this powerful wine. Spouse agreed, but alas, Vin Jaune just isn’t his jam.
If you’re curious and have the time, check out this obscure grape and winemaking style. Let me know what you think!