France — wine
Jura
France's most distinctive wine region — the Jura plateau between Burgundy and the Swiss Alps produces the world's only Vin Jaune (yellow wine) from Savagnin grape, oxidatively aged under a film of yeast (voile) for a minimum 6 years 3 months in barrels that are never topped up. The resulting wine — bottled in the unique 62cl clavelin — resembles dry Fino Sherry in its oxidative character but with French terroir complexity. Poulsard and Trousseau red grapes, Chardonnay, and the rare Savagnin white complete Jura's unique palette. Ouillé (non-oxidative) Chardonnay from Jura — the 'ouillé' style — is one of France's greatest white wine values.
Vintage assessments
| Year | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | Outstanding Jura vintage; Vin Jaune of exceptional concentration; Poulsard and Trousseau of fine elegance |
| 2022 | 92 | Good Jura vintage with warm conditions: the Chardonnay and Savagnin achieved ripe, generous characters. Excellent for immediately approachable ouillé styles. The oxidative wines from 2022 will develop quickly under voile. |
| 2021 | 91 | Classic cool Jura vintage: the chalky clay terroir delivered mineral tension and freshness across all varieties. The Chardonnay is lean and precise — excellent for aging. Vin Jaune from 2021 will require the full voile period to show its full complexity. |
| 2020 | — | Benchmark year; Ganevat and Tissot produced Chardonnay and Vin Jaune of the highest order. |
| 2019 | 93 | A beautiful Jura growing season — cool spring followed by warm summer and clean harvest. The ouillé Chardonnay is at its most mineral and precise. Trousseau shows exceptional colour and structure. Savagnin for Vin Jaune achieved perfect balance between richness and natural acidity. |
| 2018 | — | Solid vintage; natural Poulsard wines from this year gained major international natural wine community attention. |
| 2017 | 92 | Excellent Jura vintage: early ripening with consistent quality across all varieties. The Chardonnay shows generous fruit and accessible structure; the Savagnin for Vin Jaune shows good concentration. Poulsard and Trousseau produced vivid, early-drinking reds. |
| 2016 | — | Solid Jura year; Savagnin and Chardonnay both produced wines of excellent longevity. |
| 2015 | 95 | The most celebrated recent Jura vintage: warm, dry summer produced exceptional concentration in Savagnin, Chardonnay, and both red grapes. The Vin Jaune from 2015 is considered among the finest of the decade — the high sugar levels produced Vin Jaune of extraordinary depth and rancio development. Best ouillé Chardonnay in 10 years. |
No products catalogued for this region yet.