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French Winophiles Return to the Jura
This month, our French Wine Fans are circling back to the Jura. It’s been a while, the last time we featured this region was in 2016. This tiny region is located just east of Bourgogne (Burgundy) leading to the foothills of the Alps. Take a look farther down this post to learn more about the region from my fellow Winophiles writers!

More than Vin Jaune
The Jura is best known for unusual grapes like Savagnin and winemaking processes used nowhere else such as oxidative aging of non-fortified wines. Vin Jaune, a signature wine of the region, is made by leaving a barrel of Savagnin wine less than full, then sealing it and not touching it for at least 5 years. I wrote about a meal with Vin Jaune in my post back in 2016. Today the Jura is also known for organic and natural winemaking. About 20% of the vineyards are certified organic, roughly double the average in France. This month, I wanted to explore a couple of more familiar wines from winemakers committed to low intervention in the vineyard and winery.

Domaine des Marnes Blanches
A young winery, Geraud and Pauline Fromont began Domaine des Marnes Blanches in 2006. They farm 10 hectares (22 acres) and are certified organic in the vineyard. They use only native yeast and minimal sulfur addtions. They have two cellars, one for raising their sous-voile (under flor) wines and a separate one for their topped-up wines. They refer to their topped-up wine as reflecting the terroir and their sous-voile wines as wines showing the winemaker’s imprint.

Domaine des Marnes Blanches Chardonnay En Quatre Vis 2018 Côtes du Jura AOC ($37 locally at Henry and Son) 12.5% abv (this is one of the topped-up terroir focused wines)
Eye: Pale gold
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of white blossom, lemon peel, underripe pear, green apple, toasted oats, crushed stone.
Mouth: Dry, medium plus acidity, medium body with a surprisingly creamy texture, medium alcohol, medium intensity flavor, medium plus finish.
Observations: A nice cooler climate Chardonnay with a light touch of oak but with a creamy texture.

Domaine André et Mireille Tissot
The domaine was started in 1962 by Stéphane’s grandfather, André. Today Stéphane farms 50 hectares (110 acres). They were certified organic in 1999 and biodynamic in 2004, and they stopped using sulfites in their white wines in 2000 and 2003 for the red wines.

Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot Arbois AOC 2018 ($32 locally at Henry and Son) 12.5% abv
40% Trousseau, 30% Poulsard, 30% Pinot Noir. Macerated 1 to 3 months (!) primarily in large wooden vats. Wine is unfiltered and with no added sulfites (sans soufre), only those naturally occurring.
Eye: Pale ruby
Nose: Medium plus intensity bright fresh tart red fruit: red currant, raspberry, underripe cherries. Herbs behind the fruit: rosemary and thyme.
Mouth: Dry, high acidity, medium fine grained tannins, medium minus body with a lean texture, medium alcohol, medium plus intensity flavors, medium plus finish.
Observations: Very nice cool climate red wine, clean and fresh and lively. If you’re not familiar with this wine, it might remind you of a nice Beaujolais.

Dinner with Jura Wines
up at the lake
Our recipes came from a couple sources. First course tomato and brie tarts are from Martha Stewart Living. They paired beautifully with the Domaine des Marnes Blanches Chardonnay. The second course of yogurt-marinated grilled chicken kebabs with cucumber mint salsa came from Meredith Deeds at our local newspaper, the Star Tribune. Thanks to Julie’s crossword puzzle daily dose, we still have a subscription to the actual paper. The lively acidity and light body of the Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot Arbois made for a very nice pairing with the chicken and salsa.

Fellow French Winophiles Jura Discoveries
Take a look below at some great discoveries from the Jura, then why not join our chat? We’ll be chatting about the Jura on Saturday August 21 10-11am on Twitter. Just look for the #winophiles tag let us know what you think!

• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm tempts us with Slow Cooker Mushroom Soup with a Jura Trosseau.
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla knocks it out of the park as always, this time with Poulet Rôti + Charles Rouget 2018 Trousseau Côtes du Jura.
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles tells us about A Baby Vin Jaune 15 Generations in the Making.
• Gwendolyn over on Wine Predator….Gwendolyn Alley takes us 4 Wines and 4 Dishes To Try from The Jura in The French Alps.
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! explains The Jura Beyond Vin Jaune.
• Jane at Always Ravenous leads us to “Discover Jura Wines Paired with a Cheese Plate.”
• Pierre and Cynthia at Traveling Wine Profs encourages us to Open that Jura now!
• And lastly, Payal, this month’s host, at Keep the Peas has “A Day in the Life of a Jura Wine Lover.”