Château-Chalon

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyard belongs to the natural region of the Revermont, the western fringe of the Jura massif, bounded to the east by the first limestone plateau at approximately 550 metres altitude and to the west by the Bresse graben.
• The medieval village that gave its name to the appellation sits on a heavily faulted limestone promontory at the mouth of the reculée de Baume-les-Messieurs, a deeply incised valley typical of Jurassic morphology.
• The plots are planted on slopes of Lower Jurassic grey marls, dominated by a cliff of yellowish Middle Jurassic limestone that generates abundant scree, lightening the texture of the underlying marls.
• The vineyard lies between 250 and 400 metres altitude on south- to south-west-facing slopes, affording privileged sunshine and protection from cold northerly and north-easterly winds.
• The cool, high-rainfall oceanic climate is marked by continental influences, with a mean annual temperature of 10.5 °C and annual rainfall exceeding 1,000 millimetres, well distributed throughout the year.

• The wine of Château-Chalon is linked to the abbey of the Abbesses de Château-Chalon, founded before the tenth century, whose abbesses were required to prove sixteen quarterings of nobility for admission.
• The appellation d'origine contrôlée Château-Chalon was officially recognised by decree on 31 May 1936, following the establishment of the producers' syndicate on 14 May 1933.
• Vin jaune is produced from Savagnin harvested as late as possible, then aged for at least six years in oak barrels without topping up, allowing a yeast veil (voile) to form that protects the wine through gentle oxidation.
• The wide thermal amplitude between winter and summer contributes, through its effect on the yeast veil, to the emergence of the characteristic 'goût de jaune' of this wine.
• The long ageing under wood without topping up justifies the use of a specific container, the 62-centilitre Clavelin bottle, corresponding to the volume remaining from one litre of wine after six years of ageing without topping up.
• From 1952, a vine-inspection committee has assessed each plot before harvest, which has led the syndicate to forgo the benefit of the appellation in certain years, such as 1974, 1980, 1984, and 2001.

• The vin jaune of Château-Chalon is a dry, full-bodied white wine built for long ageing, with a colour that generally tends towards a deep golden yellow.
• Characterised by its goût de jaune, it displays aromas of dried fruits (walnuts in particular), very ripe apple, candied fruits, and spices such as curry, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg, with impressive intensity on both the nose and palate.
• This powerful and highly complex wine, endowed with great length on the palate, can be kept in bottle for fifty or even a hundred years while maintaining and amplifying its qualities and originality.

• The combination of pedological, topographical, and climatic factors on the site constitutes an optimal environment for Savagnin, enabling it to reach the ideal ripeness for the expression of the wines' originality and balance.
• The gentle oxidation induced by the yeast veil during ageing without topping up imparts to vin jaune its incomparable and complex goût de jaune as well as its beautiful amber-gold colour.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF)
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVJ — Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins du Jura