From: Jura, France
Blend: 50% Chardonnay, 50% Savagnin
Taste & Critical Acclaim: Wine Advocate: 94 Points
The very expressive 2017 L'Etoile En Banode is a 50/50 blend of Chardonnay and Savagnin from a vineyard planted with the two varietals by Jean Gros in 1970. The wine is powerful but delicate and fluid; there's something feminine in the traditional wines from Montbourgeau. 2017 was a low-yielding and concentrated year that suits the flor style. The two grapes fermented together in stainless steel and then matured in a 2500-liter oak vat (the volume produced) for one year after which time the wine was transferred to 500-liter oak barrels that were never again topped up. This has a strong influence from the flor yeasts with notes of curry and morel mushrooms and a strong salinity and minerality. This bottling transcends the challenging character of the year. Montbourgeau is the leading producer in the village of l'Etoile where they produce a full range of wines that until recently were made in a very traditional style. With the arrival of the third generation there are also some floral ouillé whites. I love the elegance and minerality of their wines and this time I was very surprised by a beautifully perfumed red produced with Poulsard. (4/2021)
Pairing: Pairing meals with Jura white wines, especially ones in this category, can be intimidating. Here’s a list of pairings we love with wines like this: Poulet aux Vin Jaune, Poulet roti with caramelized shallots and mushrooms, trout almondine, Comté cheese (A strong, mature Comté pairs well with Vin Jaune because of its saltiness), nuts, goose liver, or dried fruits, fertile combos au Jambon (A dish of ham and Comté cheese wrapped in puff pastry with spring greens), croûte aux champignons, Jura fondue, and Coq au Vin Jaune with morels, cream, and of course, the “yellow” wine from the Jura. We’re sharing the recipe for Coq au Vin Blanc below, and you’re more than welcome to add a splash of this wine to the recipe for more complexity (though we don’t blame you if you save this bottle for consumption only).
Coq au Vin Blanc
By Florence Fabricant
About. Many thanks to the fine folks at Rosenthal Wine Merchant for importing this Domaine & providing the following information. Domaine de Montbourgeau has produced traditional Jura wines since Victor Gros, the grandfather of current Vigneronne Nicole Deriaux, first planted the estate’s vineyards in 1920.
Domaine de Montbourgeau has produced traditional Jura wines since Victor Gros, the grandfather of current Vigneronne Nicole Deriaux, first planted the estate’s vineyards in 1920. Nicole’s father, Jean Gros, was responsible for expanding the domaine once he acceded to the head of the family in 1956. Thirty years later (1986) Nicole joined her father and she now is fully responsible for the operation of the domaine. Her three sons are waiting in the wings!
The estate is located in the village of L’Etoile in the southwestern zone of the Jura. The origin of the name “L’Etoile” (meaning “star”) is attributed to either the fact that there are five hills surrounding the village in the pattern of a star or, more probably, because of the numerous specimens of the fossils of ancient starfish that are found to this day in the soils of this appellation. The appellation itself is very small, including only 52 hectares, principally in the village of L’Etoile but also with certain vineyards in the neighboring villages of Planoiseau, Saint Didier and Qunitigny.
The domaine’s nine hectares are devoted mostly to Chardonnay with Savagnin sited in 1.7 of those hectares; some Trousseau and Poulsard round out the plantings. The viticulture is organic and the vinification is strictly traditional respecting, in all aspects, the ancient practices of this region. Nicole Deriaux’s natural approach to every step of the process captures the true essence of the Etoile appellation in each of the separate bottlings done at the domaine.
All grapes are hand-harvested and vinified in the cellars underneath the family home, which is surrounded by the picturesque mountaintops of the Jura. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel cuves but all wines are then racked into a combination of foudres, demi-muids and smaller barrels, virtually none of which are new. The white wines are aged in barrel; they are never racked; they are not topped off. The very special nature of the appellation of L’Etoile produces white wines of exceptional finesse and complexity.
Technical Details:
FARMING
Practicing organic
TREATMENTS
Copper-sulfate only
PLOUGHING
Annual ploughing to promote soil health
SOILS
Blue, white, and red limestone-clay marls
VINES
Trained in Guyot and planted at 6000 vines/ha, vines average 40 years old.
YIELDS
Controlled through severe winter pruning, debudding, and green harvesting when necessary
HARVEST
Entirely manual, usually mid-September
PURCHASING
Entirely estate fruit
FERMENTATION
Following manual destemming and a 3-4 day cold soak, red wines ferment spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks. Cuvaison lasts 18-28 days. Cuvée Spéciale ferments spontaneously in 230-l neutral oak barrels. Other white wines ferment spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks.
EXTRACTION
Red wines see pumpovers during cuvaison. Most white wines see bâtonnage only to counter reduction.
CHAPTALIZATION
Chaptalization when necessary
PRESSING
Pneumatic pressing for red wines, whole-cluster, direct pneumatic pressing for white wines
MALOLACTIC FERMENTATION
Spontaneous, in foudres and barrels in the spring
ÉLEVAGE
Red wines age 12-18 months in small barrels. Vin Jaune ages in foudres and smaller barrels for up to 7 years. Other white wines age in foudres and smaller barrels for 24-36 months. White wines are not topped up while in small barrels.
LEES
Wines are racked following malolactic and remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling. Crémant remains sur lattes for 18 months.
DOSAGE
Crémant sees no dosage.
FINING & FILTRATION
All wines are unfined. White wines are filtered with diatomaceous earth when necessary. Red wines are unfiltered.
SULFUR
Applied when necessary
Check out this article from VinePair to clear up any confusion regarding oxidative styles of wine (like this wine) vs. when wine oxidizes (not good). Many thanks for your words, Courtney Schiessl!
Why Oxidized Wines Are Bad but Oxidative Wines Are So Good
WORDS: COURTNEY SCHIESSL
