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
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
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
