Winemaker Notes
One of Rousset-Martin's flagship cuvées, this Savagnin hails from marl soils of the storied Château-Chalon appellation and was patiently matured in Burgundian barrels. A transformative process must have been at work here, with the dynamic freshness of the ouillé, or topped-up style, yet it still displays hints of caramelization and golden savoriness. It's racy but rich, umami-driven, and creamy.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Savagnin Cuvée du Professeur has a noble reduction, flinty and smoky like gunpowder, and still spicy, with some subtle curry. There's a fine balance between reduction and oxidation. This takes the best from both worlds and is fine-boned and elegant, with contained ripeness and vibrant acidity. It's very tasty and has a smoky aftertaste.
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Decanter
A subtle, smoky nose of dried thyme and cumin leads into a mineral, racy palate, with a wonderful sense of restrained energy. This is from old vines in the grey marl soil of the Sous-Roche vineyard under the dramatic rocky outcrop of Château-Chalon. Matured for 42 months and topped up, the wine has little to no added SO2 and is unfiltered. A remarkable, vibrant expression of Savagnin that should age beautifully.
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Vinous
The complex 2020 Savagnin Côtes du Jura Cuvée du Professeur unwinds with prominent notes of saffron, dried chamomile, ripe pear, yellow apple and a touch of jasmine. Powerful and concentrated, the 2020 is a transparent reflection of the warm vintage, but the steely acidity cuts through like a scalpel, flawlessly preserving freshness. Focused, persistent and saline on the finish.
An ancient and genetically valuable vine variety with origins in NE France, Savagnin is a parent to many modern varieties but is most associated today with the Jura. It is responsible for a few styles of wine, the idiosyncratic Vin Jaune, a wine matured in barrel under a film of flor yeast and the sweet, concentrated Vin de Paille. Savagnin also makes a charming sparkling or still wine and is often found in blends with Chardonnay. Somm Secret—While Savagnin is an off-spring of Pinot, Savagnin is a parent of Chenin Blanc, Grüner Veltiner, Sauvignon Blanc, Silvaner and Trousseau.
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.