L'Etoile

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The village of L'Étoile is located at the centre of five hills, arranged like the points of a star, rising to between 320 and 420 metres in altitude.
• The subsoil consists of marls and marly limestones from the Triassic and the Liassic, the marls being red and grey.
• The soils are particularly rich in small "stars", scattered remains of fossil organisms called crinoids, related to sea urchins and starfish, which may possibly explain the appellation's name.
• The region enjoys a cool, heavily rain-fed oceanic climate marked by continental influences, with a wide annual temperature range around an average of 10.5°C and a warm, humid summer.
• Autumns tend to be relatively dry and windy, which favours the raisining of grapes destined for vin de paille.

• The existence of L'Étoile wine is attested by 13th-century writings, and the appellation d'origine contrôlée was officially recognised in 1937.
• Vin jaune is aged without topping up for at least 6 years in oak barrels, a period during which yeasts naturally form a film that ensures a gentle, controlled oxidation.
• For vin de paille, selected bunches undergo off-vine raisining for at least 6 weeks to achieve high sugar levels, followed by slow pressing with a very low juice yield.

• Wines vinified with topping up show a pale yellow colour that deepens with longer ageing, a floral or fruity nose, and a fresh palate evoking saline or gunflint notes.
• Wines from oxidative ageing have a deep yellow colour and a nose of fresh walnuts or hazelnuts, with a palate that can reveal finesse, power and length.
• Vin jaune owes its goût de jaune, combining notes of walnut, apple, candied fruit and spice, to its élevage under a film of yeast (voile) for 6 years, and is bottled in a bottle called the Clavelin.
• Vin de paille has a deep yellow to amber colour and aromas of honey or candied fruit such as candied orange or prune, with a richness that gives length and persistence.

• The combination of soil, topographic and climatic factors gives the geographical area optimal conditions for producing aromatic white wines, expressing fruitiness and minerality with a freshness that is a guarantee of ageing potential.
• The wide temperature range between winter and summer contributes to the development of the film yeasts responsible for the characteristic goût de jaune of vin jaune.

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