Tasting of Domaine Baud wines from the Jura

Went to a two-night tasting of Domaine Baud wines from the Jura in the hope of tasting a vin jaune and a Chateau Chalon. Though these two were not on the program, I was hoping to finagle a sip of each by dropping Wink Lorch’s name; Wink was kind enough to give me the scoop on this producer, and the transmission of his regards to Alain Baud (who spoke highly of Wink) immediately gave me some sort of not-just-anybody status (but, ultimately, no cigar).

Night one was a presentation and tasting, while night two was a dinner with regional food to put into practice the gastronomic orientation of Jura wines.

The tasting was quite informative, starting with the history and geology of the region, illustrated by slides. The soil is mainly calcareous, distinguishing it from nearby Burgundy, and supposedly imparting a characteristic taste of almonds to much Jura wine. Only 5% of Jura wine is exported, so much more could be done in the international PR department. Only two white (chardonnay, savagnin) and three red (poulsard, trousseau, and pinot noir) grapes are allowed. My schematic mind found it curious that the two white grapes allowed in the Jura are simultaneously the most (perhaps) widely distributed and the least (perhaps) widely distributed in the world.

2003 Domaine Baud Chardonnay
Light amber. Very aromatic. Touch of fennel, white flowers, hint of almonds. Good mouthfeel, nice acidity, but a shade too hot. According to Baud, the 13.5% alcohol is due to the 2003 heat, otherwise it would have been closer to 13%. Even though it’s aged 24 months in barriques which Baud buys from Burgundy, they are very old barriques, and I didn’t taste any wood. While this is not unoaked, but I found myself comparing it to unoaked chardonnays, compared to which I found this interesting and unusual, probably due to the calcareous soil. Suggested pairings: trout, andouillete, chicken, Comté, raclette.

2003 Domaine Baud Savagnin
This was the closest to a vin jaune, having been subjected to the oxidation process (some notes on that below) for 4 years, instead of the 6 years and 3 months required for vin jaune. It was bottled in July, 2007. Following old habits, the staff poured this chilled, when it should be served at cellar temperature, around 14°.

Light gold. As a neophyte, I found it hard to cut through the oxidative aromas that scream “sherry!” and perceive anything underneath. Perhaps a touch of wet leaves and some almonds (but this may have been suggestion). The taste is surprisingly dry and the acid overwhelms the fruit. My palate wants some sweetness to offset the acidity and the oxidative flavor. The alcohol is reasonably high (14.5%), but less perceptible than I might have expected. Definitely a taste to be acquired before I can make any kind of more informed comment, but I found it on the difficult side. As it warmed, it revealed more nuttiness. I jotted down some interesting comments from Alain Baud about the oxidative process that I will include down below. Suggested pairings: mushrooms, Comté, crustaceans, dark chocolate. I enjoyed this much more the following evening with a “poulet au vin jaune” with morels and vin jaune risotto with nuts and ciboulette. I concluded that this is definitely a food wine, and endorses the notion that Jura wines show best with food. Since most wines show best with food, perhaps I should have written “the notion that Jura wines benefit the most from food."

2005 Domaine Baud Poulsard
Light red, but different from Burgundy or Beaujolais, with an orange tint that misleadingly suggests older Burgundy. Very thick glycerin tears. Very interesting nose of wet earth, wet leaves, and … gunpowder (a first, for me). Baud says that is characteristic of Poulsard. In the mouth, considerable acidity, cherry, and a touch of Burgundian macerated stems, though Baud assures me all grapes are 100% destemmed. Very acidic, relatively light bodied, but different and quite interesting. The thought “perhaps good with tomato sauce, the French equivalent of Barbera” runs across my mind. Macerated for two weeks, and fermented without wood. Baud says that the Poulsard grape has very thin skins and little color, and is one of the few wine grapes that taste good to eat. Also suggests that Poulsard is one of the few wines that go well with dark chocolate. Bought a bottle of this after the show.

2005 Domaine Baud Trousseau
Darker than Poulsard. Smells of mint and sous-bois, more Burgundian. Tastes of chocolate and definitely sweeter that the Poulsard. More body and. I found this less different from what I know, therefore less interesting. Suggested pairings: red meat, game, magret. Went very well the following evening with fish, vegetables, and a sauce made with Trousseau-infused butter.

N.V. Domaine Baud MacVin
A fortified wine made from Chardonnay and local grappa. Spends 3 years in barrels before release. Derives name not from Scottish ancestry or Apple computer but from marc (french grappa) + vin. Served cold. Curious mélange of wet dishrag, foot odor (!), anis, noisette, herbs. Suggested pairings: cantaloupe and jambon, ice cream, desserts. Baud says it’s good as a palate cleanser (trou normand). Can’t say I like it, but did appreciate it the following evening with sweet baked apples sautéed with curry (odd but interesting).

All in all, a very interesting tasting. I learned a lot about the oxidative process, particularly the fact that a film (“voile”) of aerobic yeasts forms on the surface of the wine and allows the very slow oxidation that distinguishes oxidative wine from oxidized wine (vinegar). If the voile does not develop correctly and a hole develops on the surface, the wine quickly turns to vinegar. Once opened, oxidative wines can remain open several months before they spoil, and gain in complexity with aeration. The voile supposedly contributes aromas of spices, curry and almonds, in addition to the almonds that come from the terroir. Dead yeasts from the voile fall to the bottom of the barrel, like dead skin flakes, and their decomposition supposedly imparts a truffle flavor. I asked Baud “why Savagnin?” and he said that they experimented with chardonnay, and it didn’t work. For the voile to form, the raw material has to have high acid and high alcohol, and Savagnin is ideal in this regard. As a parting thought, I left wondering how these guys survive. They wait more than six years to make a wine that not many people around the world appreciate, or even know, at a price that hardly seems worthwhile, given the immobilized capital and risk of spoilage. The worst of the worst Bordeaux can find an uninformed buyer in a duty-free shop somewhere, but a fine Jura wine will most likely be passed by any but the most curious buyers.

Thanks for notes Oswaldo. I am myself a fan of Chateau-Chalon and the Jura. I find it perplexing that Baud or anyone from the region would dive into a presentation about Jura without showcasing Vin Jaune, for it is obviously their most alluring and unique offering. I have found the chardonnay interesting and Poulsard and Pinot Noir good, but it is Vin Jaune which puts Jura on the map. Certainly there must have been excuses and apologies, no? Regardless, your notes are wonderful.

Thank you,
-Bill

Great notes, Oswaldo ... you certainly grasped many of the issues with Jura wines! I'm curious, did Alain Baud speak in English or was there a translator?

So many points have come up here, it's hard to know where to start. The region is indeed perplexing, Bill! Here are a few general observations that might be pertinent to understanding how this region thinks as far as exports go. But, rest assured if they make a living there, they are doing very well - times are very tough as in many parts of France.

Vin Jaune (including Château-Chalon) represents 2 - 3% of total Jura production ... total Jura production is less than 2% of total France production.

To be allowed the appellation contrôlée Arbois or Côtes du Jura Vin Jaune, or indeed Ch-Chalon, the wine MUST be bottled in the 62cl clavelin bottle and this size is not permitted to be imported into the USA, and this may be the same for certain countries. I don't want to labour this point as I don't want to get anyone into trouble, but there is one pretty famous producer who sells in the USA, who has apparently shipped some Vin Jaune in 50cl - the size is permitted, but the wine should not bear the AC label. Anyway, in short, Vin Jaune cannot be exported to the USA or to other countries that don't allow the 62cl size.

There is no remit for the Jura promotional body (if you can call them that) to work on wooing export markets - for them, trying to encourage Parisien restaurants and wine shops to buy the wine is virtually exporting - over 75% of sales are in the administrative region of Franche Comté (which includes the department of Jura). So it's up to individual producers to work on finding export markets, and this is something only a few of them have started to do, realising that they might be having a few problems now selling all their stock. Generally importers come to them anyway. If producers do think about exporting, what they really want to export is the wines they make most of, in particular Chardonnay.

Regarding the wines you tasted Oswaldo, note the vintage variations which are huge in the Jura.
2003 was completely atypical - the Chardonnay was harvested mid-August. I liked Baud's Chardonnay 2003 but it was indeed quite 'hot' and I think is beginning to fade now. For Savagnin, the low acidity of the year means that not so much Vin Jaune would have been made and the Savagnin you tasted, which I tasted recently and liked a lot is lower acidity than normal!!
2005 was a great year for reds - it was a perfect vintage in the Jura as in many other French regions.
Totally and utterly these are food wines!
I've never before heard the comment about the calcerous soil imparting an almond flavour to the wines ... yes, calcerous soils form the main type, but the most famous soils of the Jura are various colours of 'marne' which translates more-or-less as marl, a form of calcerous clay.

Finally, Oswaldo ... I'm female by the way.

My apologies, Madame Wink! Good thing that, in my schoolboy French, "Wink vous envoye ses salutations" came out unisex.

Alain Baud spoke French throughout, and Jean, the affable French owner of the wine store where the tasting took place (called Le Tire Bouchon) translated, adding comments of his own, causing general amusement whenever his translations were longer than the original. Baud speaks several languages, but not Portuguese, though he seemed to understand some of the questions before they were translated. He studied languages in college and specialized in Russian on his way to the foreign service before succumbing to the call of the land.

Bill, thank you for the compliment; not only was there no vin jaune/Ch. Chalon, but no apologies or excuses were forthcoming... I asked Baud before the tasting if I could try some on the sly. He promised to send me some discretely, but that never happened. On top of the clavelin explanation, which could be surmounted for export if there were enough demand, another might be that they are trying to give "the people what they want" (i.e., orthodox wine) instead of insisiting on the best of what they have to give, for which there is much less demand.