iDealwine update: the Jura’s out

Wines from France’s Jura region are starting to make a splash, and are reaching record prices at iDealwine auctions. What has caused this uptick in interest and can this rise in popularity be sustained in the long run?

Of all France’s wine regions, the Jura has changed most in recent years. Some vintages recently fetched record prices at iDealwine auctions. In the auction that closed on 16 November 2016, a bottle of 2000 Vin Jaune from Domaine Overnoy sold for €1,032 (£867).

This was a record price for this bottle, won by a Japanese wine enthusiast. At this same auction, a lot of 1978 Vigne aux Dames Château-Chalon from Domaine Perron sold for the equivalent of €528 a bottle, more than double its starting price.

Is this a sign that Jura wines are finally getting the recognition they have long deserved? Probably, but it is also down to a better understanding of wines that have been somewhat off the radar for enthusiasts for many years. We could observe a global search for icons in regions outside of the classic Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhône, and Jura is no exception to the rule.

For the majority of wine lovers, the Jura is best known for its odd, oxidative wines, especially Vins Jaunes and the flagship appellation Château-Chalon.

They are in a class of their own that you either love or hate. Often, people who dare take the plunge become real fans of their distinctive nutty taste. But, they will always be in the minority.

The Jura used to produce a high proportion of oxidated wines, with the Vin Jaune being the most iconic yet the most difficult to obtain through a controlled oxidation and the benefits of the wild film of dead yeast and bacterias – the ‘voile’.

The region has always produced many ‘normal’ white wines as well, usually from Chardonnay.

However, most enthusiasts wouldn’t even try them, convinced that they too would be oxidated. This overriding impression is undoubtedly a reason why Jura wines have not reached a broader clientele.

Now though, and for almost 20 years, the situation has changed considerably.

Aware that the traditional style limits their ability to sell, many growers practise ‘ouillage’. In other words, they produce and age their casks in the usual way, topping them up as any other standard wines, producing a wide range of reds (Poulsard, Trousseau, Pinot Noir) and whites (Chardonnay, Savagnin).

New generation

These changes have been accelerated by the arrival of a new generation of producers who have quickly become stars, such as Stéphane Tissot and Jean-François Ganevat. Their talents have brought many excellent Chardonnays to the attention of wine lovers. Their wines’ quality equal (and in some cases exceed) a number of prestigious Burgundy appellations. These two trailblazers have paved the way for a new generation of wine producers who have turned away from traditional oxidative techniques.

Good examples of this are the Labet, Pignier, La Tournelle and Buronfosse, or even more recently, Les Bottes Rouges (Jean-Baptiste Ménigoz), La Borde (Julien Mareschal), Ratapoil (Raphaël Monnier) and Cavarodes (Étienne Thiébaud).

Almost all of these estates practise organic or biodynamic techniques, reaching a new clientele and placing their wines at the forefront of the most discerning wine lovers’ attention.

These new producers are now well established and known primarily, if not exclusively, for their white wines and, to a lesser extent, for their reds, yet are hardly known at all for oxidative wines, which they tend to produce in very limited quantities, if at all. The only estate to have kept a true tradition of oxidative winemaking is Stéphane Tissot’s, which produces three Vins Jaunes and a Château Chalon. But with 35 wines, the proportion of oxidated ones isn’t huge.

Major investors

A final sign of the Jura’s growing success as a wine area is the arrival of major investors who have taken over estates and companies that were struggling to find a family or local successor. Most of these investors come from neighbouring Burgundy, perhaps attracted by the two grape varieties they share with their mountain dwelling neighbours, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The well-known Domaine du Marquis d’Angerville has taken over a number of small estates in the Arbois region and created Domaine du Pélican. It has also been growing wine on a large number of parcels in the historic Domaine Jacques Puffeney. The other investor is a very large Burgundy wine group – Boisset (30 labels in Burgundy including Mommessin, Bouchard Aîné et Fils and Domaine de la Vougeraie). The group recently took control of Henri Maire, one of the largest and most historic producers in the Jura.

With a dynamic new generation of producers and major investment from Burgundy, the Jura seems to be on a roll with prices expected to continue to rise progressively. Connoisseurs know they can find superb wines here, with a distinctive character, at prices well below the peaks achieved by wines from other more sought-after regions.

A few emblematic bottles might have gone through the roof in recent auctions, but, although spectacular, these are the exception rather than the rule.