WTN: Fall Flavors: 1982 Jura

A couple of years ago, a local shop offered a few bottles of this, a Domaine de Pêcheur 1982 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay, supposedly a recent bottling from a “lost” 500L cask. When first opened, this could be mistaken for an excellent dry Manzanilla, but with a little air, brighter and more youthful fruit (apple, and bone-dry orange marmalade, if you can imagine such a thing) comes to the fore, without displacing the sherried and nutty notes. The result is an explosively layered combination, accented by white pepper and spice on the finish. Pretty hard to believe this is 42 years old. A real delight, and a perfect pairing with a simple roast chicken and a salad of apple and celeriac.

[David M. Bueker]

That sounds really interesting. I’m not much for Jura wines, but I would be tempted to have a sip or two.

I've only had a handful of Jura whites over the years. Partly because they were hard to find in Chicago (apart from one shop where the cool kids went, which was just a little too far north of me to be an everyday destination) and partly because I didn't love the sous voile wines I tried: they seemed dominated by their oxidative character in the same way that some orange wines can seem dominated by skin-contact phenolics. But Cellar d'Or in Ithaca always has some, and this had a good enough story that I took a chance. I'm glad I did: this had layers more complexity than anything else I've tried. Maybe I should spring for a really good vin jaune.

I've only had a handful of Jura whites over the years. Partly because they were hard to find in Chicago (apart from one shop where the cool kids went, which was just a little too far north of me to be an everyday destination) and partly because I didn't love the sous voile wines I tried: they seemed dominated by their oxidative character...

Wow. Yes, Jura wines did become a bit tricky. Between sorting out the oxidative and non-oxidative wines, and then fighting through the rapid price increases as they became so trendy. But there's a lot of good stuff there, for people who like fresh lively wines.

[Jenise]

The comparison to dry orange marmalade and Manzanilla says it all. I've had a number of Jura whites, mostly didn't like but occaisionally some I do. I like sherry but there's a fine line where it can be too much. I'm glad to have actually visited the area. The foods are heavy and oxidative just like the wines. Lots of ham and smoked things. There, they make sense.