A wine geek explores Jura’s native grapes, Part I (#Winophiles)

Let’s say you or your friend attended a wine class or two and know the grapes used to make Champagne – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, for sure, and one of you remembers the third one, Pinot Meunier, too.

On team trivia night, you guess a typical red Bordeaux has some percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, depending on left bank vs. right bank, and your teammates fill in other grapes: Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot.

Now hold onto your wine glass! You’re about to meet a couple of grapes that may be unfamiliar. We’re heading to Jura, a rural pocket of eastern France where producers put their own regional spin on grape growing and winemaking.

Thanks to Cam at Culinary Adventures with Camilla, the French Winophiles are exploring some of the lesser-known grapes of France for a Twitter chat on Saturday, Feb. 15, starting at 11 am ET. If reading this post in time, you’re invited to join us by following the hashtag, #Winophiles.

Cam based this topic on Godforsaken Grapes: A Slightly Tipsy Journey Through the World of Strange, Obscure, and Unappreciated Wine by Jason Wilson. In the appendix to Wilson’s informative and humorous romp through vineyards, the author lists 101 lesser-known grape varieties and notes this list represents less than 8% of the 1,368 known wine grapes.

When some bloggers focused on godforsaken grapes last month for a Wine Pairing Weekend chat, I opened a North Macedonian red blend of Vranec and Plavec. Since then, I’ve sped through Wilson’s page-turner of a book, fascinated by every step of his journey and the characters and grapes he encounters.

OK, call me “geeky,” if you will, but I find this quest for oddball grapes strangely appealing – and Jura, in eastern France, is a great place to get your geek on!

Welcome to Jura
Jura, or “the Jura,” as it is also known, is a narrow valley in the remote hills between Burgundy, France, and Switzerland. As Eric Asimov, The New York Times wine critic, writes:

“For centuries, the Jura existed in splendid isolation. Unburdened by the ways of its neighbors, the Jura developed its unusual grapes and styles of wine, which the rest of the world essentially ignored for decades.”

Godsaken? You bet!

When you arrive in Jura, you’re in the French countryside. Wooded hillsides, vineyards, and lakes dot the region. Cows graze on small dairies and provide the milk for an array of delectable cheeses such as Comté, the region’s most famous cheese.

The name Jura is the root of Jurassic, the geological era that occurred some 145 to 200 million years ago. Jurassic limestone and marlstone are the main soil types in Jura. The village of L’Etoile (“star” in French), one of the most distinctive appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) subregions in Jura, is named for the star-shaped marine fossils that characterize these limestone-rich soils. Chablis and the upper Loire Valley are built on a similar geological structure.

Jura’s climate is similar to that of the Cote d’Or in Burgundy or southern Alsace – warm, relatively dry summers and cold winters. The main grape-growing area lies in the foothills of the Jura Mountains to the west, at an average altitude of 1,000 feet. The majority of vines are planted on south-facing slopes to take advantage of the suns and trained high off the ground (using the Guyot system) to lessen the threat of spring and autumn frosts.

In this “aggressively” cold climate, as buyer Marcel Orford-Williams, puts it, ripeness levels are always a concern for winemakers:

“Growers in the Jura need plenty of patience and nerves of steel as the harvest can easily extend into November.”

Jura’s obscure grapes include Poulsard, Trousseau, and Savagnin. The region is also home to plenty of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Perhaps the most famous Jura wine is a nutty and austere, sherry-like Vin Jaune (yellow wine) made from Savagnin. The wine is fermented in barrels that are not topped off to keep oxygen out. A yeast forms on the surface of the wine to protect it. In Jura, this style of wine is called sous-voile (under the veil).

In Part II of this wine geekery, I’m planning to explore Vin Jaune in greater detail. If you’re intrigued by these wines, please note that the French Winophiles are taking a deep dive into Jura wines in October. I hope to locate a sparkling Cremant du Jura or sweet Vin de Paille (straw wine) for this event. For now, let’s head north to Arbois.

A prolific subregion
Of Jura’s five AOCs, or subregions, Arbois is the most prolific – for reds, whites, and rosés. About 70 percent of Jura’s red wines are produced under the Arbois name.

Arbois was one of the first six French AOCs marked off in 1936. This subregion covers 13 communes on the hills and valley slopes surrounding the town of Arbois. One of these, a small village named Pupillin, is particularly acclaimed for the quality of its wines.

Fun fact: French chemist Louis Pasteur was born and raised in the Jura region and owned a vineyard near Arbois that is still producing wine today under the management of Henri-Maire, one of the Jura’s largest wine firms.

A traditional Arbois blend consists of Poulsard, Trousseau, and Pinot Noir.

• Poulsard, also called “Ploussard,” is a thin-skinned grape with little color pigment and very low tannins (the sometimes harsh compounds derived from a grape’s seeds and stems). Even when they’ve been soaking on their skins for a week, these grapes can show almost no color at all.
• Trousseau is an ancient variety that buds late and thereby escapes spring frosts. The color of this grape is pale, but flavors are full bodied and often gamey. In Portugal, where Trousseau goes by the name “Bastardo,” the grape is a deeper color and one of the varieties used to make Port.
• As for the third grape in the blend – Pinot Noir – Jura’s version is paler than its Burgundian cousin, more fragrant, and characteristically earthy.

These three varieties are fermented separately and then blended together to create a light-bodied, unusually delicate, pale red wine. Colors of Arbois wines range widely – some are even described as “coral.” In part, that’s because white Arbois wines may include up to 20% red grapes and vice-versa.

The wine and pairings
2012 Domaine Rolet Rouge Tradition Arbois AOC
40% Poulsard, 30% Trousseau, 30% Pinot Noir

Domaine Rolet is a conglomeration owned by three families, including the fifth-generation Devillard winemaking family from Burgundy. Altogether, Rolet owns more than 160 acres, almost 100 of which are in Arbois.

According to the producer’s website, vineyards are managed in “a reasoned wine-growing way,” with limited use of herbicides. The medium age of the vineyards is 45 years old. Grapes are 100% hand harvested, and wines age in neutral oak barrels for about 18 months.

Tasting notes: If you favor big, bold reds, Arbois is not for you! I happen to enjoy light-bodied, cold-climate reds with high acidity. This style of wine plays well with the light fare I prefer to cook. The spouse calls the color of this wine “burnt sienna.” To me, the color is more “terra rosa.” I don’t detect any signs of oxidation. As might be expected, though, it takes time for this 8-year-old wine to open up. On the nose, I get slightly perfumey, bright cherry-candy aromas with a hint of strawberry. “Twizzlers,” the spouse declares. The palate smacks of sour cherry candy, finishing on an earthy fennel note. Medium+ acidity. Medium+ finish. Alcohol: 13%. Price: $19.99.

Pairing notes: I traveled (virtually) to Provence in the south of France for this classic French beans dish to pair with the Arbois. I used canned beans and dried herbs to save cooking time. My quick and easy version includes a couple of added turkey bacon strips to enhance the savory flavor. The dish turned out splendidly, with just the right weight to complement the delicate Arbois. The next day, I purchased Comté cheese to serve as an appetizer. Smooth, nutty, and tangy, this raw cow’s milk cheese is nothing short of amazing with this oddball red wine. Thank you, cows!

Got you geeked out on obscure grapes? Then check out these posts and join us for the Twitter chat on Saturday!

• A Special Wine for A Special Night by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Aligoté Emerging from the Shadows by Food Wine Click!
• Asian BBQ Sauce-Glazed Pork Chops + Domaine Trosset’s Mondeuse d’Arbin by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• A Wine Geek Explores Jura’s Native Grapes, Part I by My Full Wine Glass
• Cooking to the Wine: Clos Cibonne Tibouren Cuvée Tradition Rosé & Savory Citrus Chicken with Couscous by Somm’s Table
• Drinking Les Rocailles Apremont Savoie Jacquère and Eating Homemade Fish Paste by Chinese Food & Wine Pairings
• Forlorn in France, Flourishing in the New World? Malbec! by Wine Predator
• Great French Wines You Might Not Know…But Should! by Cooking Chat
• Alpine Fresh, Sulfite Free Jacquère Wine Is Not Pure White by Asian Test Kitchen
• Tannat and Pasta, a Surprising Combination! by Our Good Life
• Time to Give Some Love to Godforsaken Cinsault by The Corkscrew Concierge
• Though the Mountains May Crumble…Apremont and Some Alpine Pairings by Crushed Grape Chronicles