Beguiling and Bewitching

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: Winter 2024

Exploring the world of wine can be a most engaging and engrossing pastime.

Especially when in the company of a glass of wine – my preferred travel companion when doing so virtually.

In any case, because I have long been enthralled by French wines and have yet to be persuaded that any country is more skilled in the production, I am forever on the hunt for regions that are home to the country’s unsung or lesser-known wines.

Jura is such a place. A place where the wines are often beguiling and frequently bewitching.

Located east of Burgundy, theJuraregion offers a head-spinning diversity of incredible wines Beyond the traditional stylesyou might expect (dry whites and reds, sparklers, fortified and sweet wines) the wines from the Jura are among the most unusual in circulation, made from obscure grapes and offering unexpected flavors.

For instance, it’s typical that wineries here produce the legendary Vin Jaune, or yellow wine, made of the savagnin grape, a Jura staple, and uniquely aged under a yeast crust. A wine for a highly engaged wine drinker, it is powerful, almost punishingly austere and with a nutty, sherry-like aroma that many regard as oxidized, although it is actually tangy, complex, pure, and delicious.

The best reds barely have enough color to be called red. They are delicate and graceful, with an earthy intensity and a simple, lip-smacking deliciousness. The indigenous grape trousseau wines, offer freshness and a characteristic gaminess. The Domaine Pignier Cotes du Jura Trousseau has a firm nose with fruity notes of black cherry.

The other major red grape, the poulsard, sometimes known as ploussard, is uncommonly delicate, and so pale it looks more like a dark rosé than a red. It, too, can have an earthy, gamy flavor, yet it is deliciously refreshing. The Domaine Rolet Arbois Poulsard Vielles Vignes is light and precise with a gentle hint of hibiscus.

The pinot noirs can be wonderful, though. Domaine Ganevat Côtes du Jura Cuvée Julien is gorgeous – light-bodied, lively and a pure pleasure to drink.

The region is also a reliable source of Champagne-style sparkling wines that are subtly different from Champagne. The excellent Domaine de Montbourgeau L’Etoile Cuvee Speciale is a fine example – rich and creamy, yet precise — bone dry and still rounded and lush.

With broad portfolios and minuscule production numbers, the distribution of these wines tends to be ablink-and-you’ll-miss-itsituation.

Still, I urge anyone looking for something way outside the everyday box, to seek them out.

Meanwhile pour me another glass of wine!