Côtes du Jura

France · AOC · Jura

Styles

Natural factors

Vineyard spread in a discontinuous band of 80 km × 2–5 km, west-facing, at elevations between 300 m and 450 m.
Hills formed from limestone 'thrust slices' torn from the Jurassian plateau by Alpine overthrusting, rising 50–100 m above marly depressions.
Permeable, soluble limestone soils combining marls, clays, and limestone scree, considered well suited to Jurassian grape varieties.
Humid semi-continental climate: mean temperature 10.5 °C, rainfall exceeding 1,000 mm per year, with dry and windy autumns. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

Human factors

Three grape varieties native to the Jura: poulsard (first documented in writing in 1620), trousseau (1732), and savagnin (1717).
Vin jaune is aged without topping up for a minimum of 6 years under a veil of yeast, then bottled in the 62 cl Clavelin.

Product characteristics

Dry white: mineral 'gunflint' and fruit aromas with fresh acidity; vin jaune: the characteristic 'goût de jaune' (walnut, apple, spice), a deep golden colour, and a cellaring potential of 50–100 years.
Reds: poulsard → light ruby, fruity; pinot noir → garnet, red fruits; trousseau → tannic, deeply coloured, with animal notes; with age → undergrowth and mushroom character.

Terroir / wine link

Marly soils combined with limestone scree provide cool conditions at depth and good drainage at the surface, yielding fruity, mineral white wines with ageing potential.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.