Berthet-Bondet Cotes du Jura Chardonnay Balanoz 2016
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100% Chardonnay from 40 year old west facing vines – Trias marl soil. The lieu-dit Balanoz is located on the commune of Lavigny. A pure Chardonnay that speaks clearly of the Jura region. It is barrel-aged for 12 months according to classic methods with topping up to avoid oxidation. The wine is fresh, pure Chardonnay with the distinct notes of the Jura terroir or earth and hay. Drink within 5 years. 12.5% alcohol.
The classic wine of the Jura is the "vin de voile," a technique otherwise practiced only by Spanish sherry producers. During barrel aging, casks are only partially filled, or ouille, with wine. This provokes the formation of a film of yeast on the exposed portion, protecting the wine from oxidation and giving it a unique flavor of dried fruits and nuts. Also, the logic of the aging cellar is the opposite of that for classic wine-making. Like a sherry cave, these cellars are dry and well ventilated, with enormous variations in temperature. Interestingly enough, this region of France remained a Spanish possession until 1660.
Bondet uses indigenous yeasts, except for the Cremant. By precaution he prepares a "pied de cuve" to start the fermentations of the various cuves. This is made from a small quantity of grapes that ferments spontaneously. He verifies with the lab that these are the right yeasts before incorporating them into the cuves. Selected yeasts are used for the second fermentation of the cremant.
Farming practices: The domaine is certified organic. The wines are vegan (when fined, which is rare, it is with bentonite).
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
On the foothills of the Jura Mountains, just east of the Cote de Beaune on the Switzerland border, the Jura wine-producing zone is recognized for its unique reds, as well as its particular and diverse styles of whites.
Though borrowed from their neighbor Burgundy, Chardonnay and Pinot noir have been growing in Jura since the Middle Ages. But here the altitude, topography, climate and clay-rich, marl soils support a different style of Pinot noir, not to mention its other deeply-colored, full-bodied indigenous reds, Poulsard and Trousseau.
Considering area under vine, growers here favor Chardonnay for its consistency and reliability; it comprises almost half of Jura's vineyard acreage. However, Jura Chardonnay is anything but boring; its many offbeat styles are part of what make region’s wines so distinctive. It is used for Cremant (sparkling), Macvin (a fortified wine), as well as fine examples at the quality level of Burgundy.
Jura also has a unique oxidative style for Chardonnay but is better recognized for its similarly-styled “vin jaune,” meaning ‘yellow wine,’ which is made from the indigenous variety, Savagnin. Vin jaune is made using techniques similar to those used to make Sherry.
For all of its wines, Jura favors a traditional, natural and often organic style in viticulture and winemaking.