10 - Jura Flashcards
How large is Jura?
0.5% of land under vine in France
Describe the growing environment of Jura
Climate: mod continental with high rainfall (1,100mm) esp during the growing season. Increased warmth due to climate change –> benefit
Topography: west-facing slopes of Jura mountains, 250-400m altitude
Soils: clay and marl with some limestone
What challenges does the environment present growers in Jura? (4)
- High rainfall during growing season –> flowering/fruit set
- Combined with clay soil –> weeds and fungal disease –> extra vineyard work - Spring frost
- Hail
- Erosion
What steps have growers taken to mitigate these climatic hazards:
- Erosion
- Frost
- Fungal disease
- Rainfall during harvest
Erosion - allow grass to grow between vines
Frost - replacement cane prune at high level
Fungal disease - VSP
Rainfall during harvest - machine harvest where possible
Give an example of when and why yields in Jura are usually below their legal max?
2017 - frost, hail, heavy rain early in the season (mildew), drought later –> 23 hL/ha (< half the max)
As such production varies significantly - production more than halved in 2017
Which grapes are most commonly planted in Jura?
What is Chardonnay mainly used for in Jura? Pinot Noir
Chardonnay - Cremant du Jura
PN - red blends, cremant and some single-varietal
Describe Savagnin
Early budding
Thick-skinned –> fungal disease
Best on marl
Med(-) lemon, apple
High acid, med alc, med body
Describe Poulsard
Buds very early
Thin skin
Vulnerable to: coulure, fungal diseases
Ripens early –> autumn rain
Very pale
Light red fruit
High acid, low tannin, med alc, light body
Good-VG, mid-premium
Describe Trousseau
Thick skins –> fungal disease
Vulnerable to: poor flowering, coulure, sometimes BBR
Needs warmth to ripen fully –> skins
Pale ruby
Low-intensity red fruit, med-high acid, low-med tannin, med alc, light-med(-) body
Good-VG/mid-premium
Describe the winemaking for convention white wine (5)
Savagnin and Chard
Fermented in SST or old oak
Mid-temp range
MLC common
Some wines barrel fermented with lees stirring for richness -> Burgundian style
Describe the winemaking for red wines and how it differs depend on which grape variety is used
Short maceration (5-10 days)
Temps limited below 30c
Poulsard - carbonic / semi-carbonic w/ limited ageing in old oak
Trousseau/PN - longer maceration –> more structure with more ageing potential
Maturation in tank or old oak - more structured styles get longer but usually no more than 1 yr
Outline the winemaking process for Vin Jaune and other oxidative whites
Vin Jaune - from Savagnin, fermented until dry and added to barrel with headspace –> le voile develops, cannot rack or top up –> min 5 yrs under flor, min 6 in barrel
Other styles
Savagnin –> under veil for 2/3yrs –> bottled or blended with Chard (may have also been aged under veil)
How do winemakers encourage a veil to develop? How do veil and ageing impact wine?
May innoculate or place in ventilated cellar exposed to season change in temp
Veil
- Protects from oxidation - wine remains pale lemon
- Consumes alcohol and produces acetaldehyde (apple skin, bruised apple, hay, chamomile, bitter)
- Consumes glycerol - lighter body, dry sensation
- Reduce acetic acid levels
Ageing
Alc increased by 1% up to 13.5-15% due to transpiration
Describe the typical Vin Jaune
Med lemon - gold
Pronounced bread dough, walnut, ginger, green apple
Dry, high acid, high alc, med body with extreme ageing ability
VG-Outstanding/Premium-SP
What is Vin Paille and how is it made?
Sweet wine made by drying grapes off vine
All varieties except PN
RS 70-120g/L, at least 14% ABV, min 18mnths in oak, released min three years after vintage
Outline the four main AOCs in Jura
Côtes du Jura AOC – regional appellation, around 560 ha, mostly white but everything permitted (including rose)
Arbois AOC – compact, densely planted AOC around the town,
780 ha planted, all styles, most red here
Château-Chalon AOC – restricted to Vin Jaune only, tiny
L’Etoile AOC – white wines only including Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille, tiny
Briefly outline the differences in grape blends and yields across white, red, rose, Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille
White - Savagnin or Chard >80%, max yield 60
Red and rose - PN, Poulsard, Trousseau >80%, slightly lower yield
VJ - Only Savagnin, under veil for five years, earliest sale Jan 7yrs after harvest, bottled in 62cL
Vin de Paille - max 20
Describe the structure of the production
50 estates / 30 negocs / 20 co-ops (made up of four co-ops)
Three companies = 50% of sales
Small estates and organic (20% of vineyards) and natural winemaking important
Where is Jura sold?
80 domestic
20 export - significant growth in past 15 years
