WTN: Trebbiano d-Abruzzo and Vin Jaune

2006 Farnese Trebbiano d'Abruzzo Farneto Valley [85 percent Trebbiano and 15 percent Malvasia] (Trebbiano d'Abruzzo DOC, Abruzzi, central Italy) 12.5% - imported to USA by Neil Empson Selections – appears reflective, very pale gold, some stuff suspended within, smell nice darker, perhaps blueberry, with air a bit more tropical, hint of coconut, very expressive nose, mouthfeel bit viscous, taste hint of salt upfront, nice melon and citrus, salty again, very nice tang, barely perceptible background fizz, great refreshing herbs with lots of midpalate flavor, tangy and tasty, went wonderfully with a salad and garlic bread. A good wine to quaff for $10.

From importer: Unfiltered. De-stalked and soft-pressed, static, natural clarification, the clean must ferments for 20 days at a controlled temperature of 12° Celsius (53.6° Fahrenheit) Total Acidity 6.5 g/l. Residual Sugar 0 g/l. Dry Extract 22 g/l. PH 3.30. 1 million bottles produced

1999 Stéphane Tissot (Domaine Andre et Mireille Tissot) Arbois Vin Jaune [Savagnin] (Arbois, Jura, eastern central France) 15% - Thomas Calder selection imported to USA by Potomac Selections - appears hazy, somewhat gooey deep golden yellow toward bronze, viscous with stuff suspended within, smell inviting, sharp spice with intense honeyed sweetness, fiery rosemary toward medicinal/herbal feel, very interesting nose, with air even more delicious, taste cool and thick at first, toward fleeting/interesting midpalate, savory, dark and deep, then intense pointed spice rushes in, peppered and a bit fiery, still cooling texture though, long peppery finish, after pepper fades I get (quite a bit later) sensations of smoked sardines or oysters, this wine has the bit of a feeling reminiscent of chewing on a rubber balloon—I’m sure some folks would detest this, but I loved it, I enjoyed how the wine combined being as dry as it gets yet being continuously refreshing, great match of cooling texture and fiery/peppery notes within, my first vin jaune makes me an instant fan—this was good stuff, I can understand why others might not care for it, but I found it incredibly interesting and habit-forming, I’d like to try some non-vin jaune savagnin to learn more about this grape. Pricey at $47 for a 500 ml bottle, but undoubtedly worth it for me, I’d buy again as it is a nice bottle to have laying around for a half-glass now, then, and again. Completely addictive over the two weeks I drank it.

1999 Stéphane Tissot (Domaine Andre et Mireille Tissot) Arbois Vin Jaune ...Completely addictive over the two weeks I drank it.

There's no killing these wines.

You're in luck if you like this style of savagnin, because there should be plenty around at good prices for the "regular" (not -Vin Jaune) wines, as the fierceness scares many people off. Perhaps you know that the classic pairing is aged Comte, which is sometimes used as an excuse for why people don't like it on its own. But...

Also, Stephane Tissot is a good likeable producer. Certainly not one of the modernists (a la Rijckeart), but he does manage to get some fruit in his wines. One of the more extreme savagnin and vine jaune producers I've tasted is Puffeney. You might check it out. I find his very difficult to appreciate.

Sounds good..

Last weekend I picked up a 500 ml bottle of 98 Puffeney exactly because I have never tasted a vin jaune, and your notes make me really look forward to it.

Is it correct to assume that because it is oxidised I can leave the bottle open and try it again days later, or is that pushing my luck?

Does it evolve with aeration or is it already aerated to the point where it stops evolving in the glass (or in the open bottle)?

I know one bottle deosn't make you an expert, but I'm curious!

I really enjoyed Tissot's '99 also - I don't have as much experience as I would hope with them (I love Jura, but they are hard to find here), but my impression is that they make a rather easy-going style throughout their range. But that isn't meant as a criticism as they always keep up my interest. If you haven't tried it, their Gravières Chardonnay is stunning, too.

-O

Thanks, Rahsaan and Otto. It is very useful to have a bit of context for a region and style of wine that is new to me. Any other general guidance you could offer on Jura producers and different wine styles for non vin jaune Jura producers? My interest in the region is piqued . . .

Is it correct to assume that because it is oxidised I can leave the bottle open and try it again days later, or is that pushing my luck?

Does it evolve with aeration or is it already aerated to the point where it stops evolving in the glass (or in the open bottle)?

I know one bottle deosn't make you an expert, but I'm curious!

Certainly no expert I! Round these parts, I think Wink has good claim to that title--informative post on vin jaune by her here, if you haven't seen it.

But, regarding my experience from one bottle: As Rahsaan said, vin jaune is rather indestructible. Two weeks left in the fridge opened with the cork popped back in and the wine was as delicious and lively on the last day as it was when I popped open the bottle. No need to rush. The only change I noted with aeration was that the nose blossomed a bit after a bit of time in the glass (though, as I stored in in the fridge, I think this was due to warming not aeration)--but I did not notice any evolution. My first taste of the wine was pretty consistent with the last--with the caveat that the acid is a bit of a shock at first, so there is some palate adjustment along the way.

I look forward to hearing about your experience. It's certainly not for everyone, but it lacks no personality.

Any other general guidance you could offer on Jura producers and different wine styles for non vin jaune Jura producers?

A lot of it depends on what is available in your market (the US? DC? Germany?). Not a whole lot of Jura wines get exported to the US (or Paris for that matter), so the range of producers is not that wide.

The granddaddy of the region for natural winemaking is Overnoy/Houillon, and they have produced some legendary Bacteria Feasts in their day. I find their red wines much easier to take than the whites. But, perhaps I just haven't had the right bottle..

Berthet-Bondet is good, and pretty traditional, although not as fierce as Puffeney in my experience.

Chambers in Nyc (always a good endorsement) carries Ganevat and Montbourgeau, but I haven't had any of their wines.

You can also find sous-voile wines from Gaillac, if you're curious to expand..

Thanks, Keith, that's very helpful.

Last Saturday at Chambers Street Wines they were tasting southern Italians and there was a very unusual fiano di avellino, deliberately oxidised (just a bit), by De Conciliis called Antece. There don't seem to be any notes about it anywhere. It was truly wonderful, so I picked up a bottle to have on the same evening as the vin jaune. If you can find a bottle of Antece, give a try.

For a thematic evening, all I need now is a good aged sherry...

For a thematic evening, all I need now is a good aged sherry...

I love Sherries! When not tasting Sherry and oxidative Jura side-by-side, they can seem rather similar, but once you have them in the glass beside each other they are quite different in my experience. It's a fun evening comparing them IMO.

Rahsaan has good names to try. But if in the meanwhile you will allow thoughts from an amateur: Berthet-Bondet is actually the name I think of with Tissot: an easy going, easy to like, yet serious style that is always fascinating. I haven't compared them side-by-side, however. Ganevat I found rather more difficult: sometimes very good in a "softer" style, sometimes (as in the Chardonnay Grandes Teppes) too oaky.

What I have had of Overnoy/Houillon, I have really loved (especially their Ploussard 2002 which totally rocks!). IIRC, of the whites I have only tasted their '98 Vin Jaune and found that a more approachable style than the Ploussard (just opposite of what Rahsaan thought ... obviously too small a sample on my part), but still very good.

Puffeney's wines I have (mostly) liked very much, but as Rahsaan implies, they can be a bit tough at times.

What do you Jura fans think of Clos de Grives (Claude Charbonnier)? I have only had the VJ '95 and liked it. I thought it was more in an easy-going akin to Berthet-Bondet &Tissot style.

I would love to hear what Wink Lorch and all of you more in tune with Jura say about these producers! On my inexperienced tastes this is one of the most fascinating areas in France.

-O

There's no killing these wines..

They're like the undead.

vin jaune is rather indestructible////it lacks no personality.

see, zombie wine!

I'm just kidding. I had to turn in my winegeek secret decoder ring since I don't "get" vin jaune, and am bitter.

Berthet-Bondet is actually the name I think of with Tissot: an easy going, easy to like, yet serious style that is always fascinating. I haven't compared them side-by-side, however.

I don't have extensive experience either, and I suffer from a somewhat small sample size myself.

I would drink more of these wines, but they're hard to find. Even in France!

I just want to add the name I - and many other vin jaune lovers - respect the most: Jean Macle. His Chateau-Chalon wines are staggering experiences, and not pricey either, if you can find them. (Production around 40 000 bottles, of which two thirds Chardonnay).
If you are really interested in the Savagnin grape, you should test some of the "normal" versions around. In these you will recognize its distant relationship with Gewurz, albeit with much more acidity. Try and find Puffeney´s Arbois Savagnin 2005, for example! (And why not pair it with smoked salmon and horseradish!) A bigger production name worth seeking out could be Rolet, although they sadly blend most of their Savagnin with Chardonnay.

Greetings from Sweden / Fredrik L

Hello, Fredrik, any experience with the 2002 Puffeney Arbois Savagnin? It's the only vintage available at Chambers.

Oswaldo,
if you have the acquired taste, do not hesitate! 2002 was a nice sunny year, and if my memory serves me correctly - I just had it once at a tasting - the Puffeney was its hazelnutty, manzanillalike self. In fact I have never been disappointed with a Puffeney bottle!

Greetings / Fredrik L

Hi to all

Apologies for no accents on this posting!

Sorry I'm late getting to this, but nearing the last leg of a 3-week trip in the USA and finally have an hour of quiet to catch up just a little on things ... I am SO impressed by the interest in Jura wines in the USA - there is very little interest in the UK, so much so that I really got into visiting/learning/writing about the region by accident, because my French home is in Haute Savoie ... writing about Savoie wines was logical, but then if you do that for books you are 'obliged' to write about Jura too, so I had to visit/learn/write! If you own Wine Report (annual guide since 2004) then check out my chapter there for news, opinions, vintage reports, producer lists and wines. If you want to read a more educational overview of the region that I wrote a couple of years ago, check out this link here:
http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/wink/jura.htm

So, to address a few questions in this thread mainly about Vin Jaune (not much on Jura in general) and excuse me for not using 'quotes' but it will take too long.
First, a correction, I think - the bottles of Vin Jaune you must have purchased would be 62cl clavelin - Vin Jaune (and this includes all wine labelled AOC Chateau-Chalon) are only bottled in this size (not 50cl) and this is why very few bottles are available in the USA as technically it is an illegal size (as far as I know no Jura producers does bottlings especially for the USA in a different size). Why 62cl? It's a traditional size apparently based on the theoretical amount of wine remaining after 1 litre has been matured in cask for the compulsory 6 years without topping up the cask.

Vin Jaune is normally served in the region at 'room temperature' meaning around 18C (about 65F??) and never served from the 'fridge. Young vintages (and that would mean anything younger than 10 years old (remember it is not allowed to be sold until 7 years old!) are nearly always either opened 24 hours in advance or decanted (if you order at a restaurant for example) or sometimes both. It can be kept once open for weeks or even months, changing and generally evolving with time. Even though this is an 'oxidative' wine (i.e. aged in the presence of a certain amount of oxygen) it is not oxidized (the yeast layer protects this from happening).

Some producer notes regarding those that have come up in this thread ... without going into details about individual flavours etc. (sorry!):
Stephane Tissot (A et M Tissot) is indeed a 'modern producer' and has some innovative ideas about making Vin Jaune, including the first year being kept away from oxygen, but you are limited in how innovatively you can produce Vin Jaune! His non-Jaune wines are some of the most interesting in the Jura.
Jean Macle is the ultra-traditional, fantastic Chateau-Chalon producer (known there often as the Pope of Chateau-Chalon) - his wines are legendary and if you can meet him (very difficult) his knowledge and stories are incredible. Son Laurent is following quietly in his footsteps. Doubt his wines are available in the USA.
Jean Berthet-Bondet also makes excellent Ch-Chalon, slightly less intense than Macle.
Jacques Puffeney just makes incredible Arbois Vin Jaune too - with great complexity and intensity. His other wines seem to be mentioned regularly on WLDG and it is his reds in particular that shine also. Yes, great Savagnin too.
Clos de Grives (Claude Charbonnier) had a reputation for very good Vin Jaune - he has ceased production I believe and his organic vineyards are being sold.
Overnoy/Houillon are the no-sulphur kings - I love the people, but confess to rarely liking their wines.
Ganevat - I love this producer but for his whites and reds.
Rijckaert - yes, his white wines show what you can do with Jura grapes in the right hands, in a 'Burgundian' way.
Frederic Lornet - not mentioned in this posting, but I believes he sells (not Vin Jaune) to the USA. I like his wines, especially his non-oxidative Savagnin (labelled Nature - with an accent acute).
Not sure who else is available.

Vin Jaune is indeed an acquired taste - one of the flavours the local talk about is 'curry' but they mean it in the French sense, which is not Chili-hot, but a mixture of mild curry spices including in particular fenugreek. I have a love/hate relationship with the wine. However with great Comte or other Gruyere-type cheese and possibly walnuts, served at the right temperature, it is an experience - especially if you can get to taste one of 20 years old or more. It has legendary ageing abilities with people I've met having experienced 100 - 200 year old bottles. Each year at the Percee du Vin Jaune festival over the first week of February, there is an auction of old bottles and they fetch ridiculously low prices for such old - and still drinkable - wine.

The Jura is a wonderful part of La France Profonde to visit - preferably April - October (too cold/damp otherwise) - a great experience is to go to one of the better restaurants where the sommeliers will offer a different Jura wine with each course - then the wines begin to make sense.

Thanks very much! All this information is invaluable. Would love to hear more about the difference between oxidative and oxidised, if anyone cares to elaborate...

Hi all!

We visited Jean Macle last year in Chateau Chalon - a very nice visit indeed. We were lucky to get 3 bottles of the 1999 Chateau Chalon which are deeply buried in my cellar. The '04 Cote de Jura is also superb but also far too young. Amazing town, by the way.

macle.jpg

Regards, Robert

Nice thread we have going here.

I also enjoy Rolet and Labet quite a bit.

Best,
Joe

Vin Jaune is indeed an acquired taste - one of the flavours the local talk about is 'curry' but they mean it in the French sense, which is not Chili-hot, but a mixture of mild curry spices including in particular fenugreek. I have a love/hate relationship with the wine. However with great Comte or other Gruyere-type cheese and possibly walnuts, served at the right temperature, it is an experience - especially if you can get to taste one of 20 years old or more. It has legendary ageing abilities with people I've met having experienced 100 - 200 year old bottles. Each year at the Percee du Vin Jaune festival over the first week of February, there is an auction of old bottles and they fetch ridiculously low prices for such old - and still drinkable - wine.

The Jura is a wonderful part of La France Profonde to visit - preferably April - October (too cold/damp otherwise) - a great experience is to go to one of the better restaurants where the sommeliers will offer a different Jura wine with each course - then the wines begin to make sense.

Wink,

Are you referring the Hôtel/Restaurant Jeunet at Arbois in this last paragraph. We were at this restaurant in 2004, I think, and it stands out in my memory for the inventiveness of its cooking whilst keeping a local accent. The sommelier did exactly what you say and poured a different wine with each course. He also ran a nearby "cave" and I bought a selection of different wines from him, including some vin jaune.

This brings me onto a question. How does one use vin jaune with food? You mention walnuts and Comté and that sounds delicious but pretty restrictive. I remember a good match with "poulet au vin jaune et aux morilles" which was delicious. Can you suggest any other matches? I don't want my bottles to languish for want of suitable pairings.

Even straight Savagnin and Jura Chardonnay are so characterful that I don't find them easy to match, especially those of producers going for a more oxidative style.

First, a correction, I think - the bottles of Vin Jaune you must have purchased would be 62cl clavelin - Vin Jaune (and this includes all wine labelled AOC Chateau-Chalon) are only bottled in this size (not 50cl) and this is why very few bottles are available in the USA as technically it is an illegal size (as far as I know no Jura producers does bottlings especially for the USA in a different size).

Wink,

Thanks for your great post -- I look forward to learning more about these producers should I succeed in procuring them. Regarding bottle size, however, my bottle of vin jaune from Tissot was 500ml/50cl not 62cl. If some producers have started bottling in a different size for export, so much the better if we get to see more vin jaune in the States as a result.

This brings me onto a question. How does one use vin jaune with food? You mention walnuts and Comté and that sounds delicious but pretty restrictive. I remember a good match with "poulet au vin jaune et aux morilles" which was delicious. Can you suggest any other matches? I don't want my bottles to languish for want of suitable pairings.

As you mention, using the wine in the dish can create a natural bridge, but you can also try dishes with curry. I have personally made things as different as veal stews and fried shrimps seasoned with curry and then accompanied by vin jaune; it can be superb! I once tried the combination with a gaspacho on a hot summer day, and it was quite delightful, too. The pairing with smoked salmon is also worth mentioning (again).

I must admit though that the most frequent pairing for me, too, is with cheeses such as Comté and Beaufort... And the venerable old Château-Chalons deserve to be enjoyed on their own.

Greetings from Sweden / Fredrik L

Great thread! I've had a bottle of Jura Chardonnay, I think, (Can't remember at all ) but this Vin Jeaune sounds intriguing. I'm really digging Jura wines, Puffenay, Tissot, etc....so...will look for this!

Something about the name Trebbiano d-Abruzzo rang a bell with me. Several years ago, while looking up the breeding of Vidal Blanc, a French-American hybrid I make every year, I learned about: UGNI BLANC: (a.k.a Trebbiano). Widely grown in Italy and Southern France. There it produces a fruity, acidic white wine, best drunk when young and chilled. In the Cognac region of France and in Australia it is known as the St. Émilion variety. Australian growers also know this variety under the alias names of White Hermitage and White Shiraz.
However, I believe the wine you reported on is: TREBBIANO d'ABRUZZO: Alternate name in certain regions of Italy for the Bombino Bianco grape.
BOMBINO BIANCO: (a.k.a Trebbiano d'Abruzzo in the Abruzzo). Widely grown in the Apulia region of southern Italy. Used as a white blending wine or, in the Abruzzo region, as a local "vino di tavola" that reportedly will age well for up to 6 years.
(from the Winegrape Glossary link on the Wine Lovers Home Page).

However, I believe the wine you reported on is: TREBBIANO d'ABRUZZO: Alternate name in certain regions of Italy for the Bombino Bianco grape.

Thanks for that Howie. This is actually something I am interested in--as I slowly move toward my goal of trying varietally-labeled (or variety-predominant) wines from 100 different grape varieties--a la the Century Club. My short foray into the research on these grapes also indicated that Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is not the same as Trebbiano. So I take it that the finding that Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc is not Trebbiano d'Abruzzo/Bombino Bianco is the current consensus.

And that Grape Glossary has been an invaluable tool--just sometimes it's a matter of whether the research/consensus has moved beyond what I find on Web resources.

Thanks, Keith, that's very helpful.

Last Saturday at Chambers Street Wines they were tasting southern Italians and there was a very unusual fiano di avellino, deliberately oxidised (just a bit), by De Conciliis called Antece. There don't seem to be any notes about it anywhere. It was truly wonderful, so I picked up a bottle to have on the same evening as the vin jaune. If you can find a bottle of Antece, give a try.

For a thematic evening, all I need now is a good aged sherry...

The thought of an oxidized Fiano intrigues me. I remember a few years ago I picked up a fiano off a close out shelf, priced around $10 and I knew it sold for about $25. Well long story short, I have been looking for this style ever since. I am sure it became oxidized just a bit from seeing a brief stint of warmer than usual temperature somewhere in it's evolution . Still it was damn good, albeit different from normal fiano wine. I love Fiano and Greco wines and usually get a case of each for summer sippers. However this one had that hazel nut flavor almost to excess. I even called the distributors agent whom I happened to know and asked him to explore the dark corners of the warehouse for more of the same vintage. IIRC the wine was probably 5-6 years old, but I did not get lucky.