Jura – The SMALLEST Wine Region in France

Hi I'm constant Limbaugh master of wine And today we're going to dive into the Smallest hippest and somehow also most Overlooked wine growing region in France Jura That's all let's go When I started learning about wine Jura Was nowhere on my radar and it wasn't Even on the French wine region map in my Wsct wine cause book there are a few Reasons for that first of all it's France's smallest wine growing region With 2080 hectares of Vineyards a Limited production and varying yields Also the Region's grape varieties and Wine Styles make it less accessible to a Wider audience but you could also say That exactly that is what makes the Region so interesting to talk about for Some years looking for the next big Discovery apart from the omnipresent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay the region is Also home to savanya trusso and Pulsa Three grape varieties that are rarely Found outside of the Jura but Savannah Is one of the oldest leaders for nifera Grape varieties it is apparent of Amongst others Sauvignon blonde Chennai And Silvana in other regions it's known As tramina and kevitzramina is its Aromatic variant and it's the grape Variety used for the most iconic wine in The region The yellow one is made by letting

Savanya 1 H and Barrel under a layer of Floor yeasts similar to the process used In Cherry the wine develops nutty Flavors become slightly oxidized and Tastes really dry and salty one of the Main differences between valjeon and Sherry is that valjeon is not fortified So it contains less alcohol and it's the Only wine in the European Union that can Be filled into the non-standard clever Lamb bottle which contains 620 Milliliters of wine and I think that's The reason because it's not standardized That it is not exported into the US so For some reason the Customs can process This baby I always wondered whether the Floor film on vanjon was actually what Inspired the Region's most famous son Louis Pasteur to do what he did he grew Up in the city of albua in the Jura Region and without his experience in Wine we might have never discovered the Processes behind fermentation and Consequently pasteurization but all this Talk makes me thirsty I have a pretty Nice line up here and I'm going to Finish the tasting with a bottle of 23 Year old version so let's dig in I'm Going to start this tasting with a red Wine which is weird right but I actually Think it makes sense when it comes to Jura the red wines of the region tend to Be a little bit lighter and oftentimes a Little bit less interesting so I think

It is better to taste them first and Then concentrate on the more exciting More concentrated more complex white Wines so this is a Tresor which is one Of the indigenous red grape varieties Used in the region the other one Pulsar Tends to produce even lighter more red Ish wines and I'm not a huge fan of Pusa Even though it is quite popular in some Circles planted on a couple of hundred Hectares of Vineyards in the region and It is actually the same as bastardo in Portugal so the two grape varieties are The same and no one really knows how it Got from the Jura region to Portugal I Mean there's this other mysterious link Between the Iberian Peninsula and Jura Which is the style of floor aged white Wine Sherry and vanjon have quite a lot Of things in common and I don't think There's real historical evidence how That took place So you can see this is a light colored Red wine and it's fairly Garnet I mean It's a 2015 vintage so it's eight years Old now which is not necessarily well Common that you drink too so this late I Think this is a very good one so it Might still be okay but let's let's see Yeah it smells of figs cherries it's Quite light on the palette it's actually Juicy and velvety it's not well you Might expect it to be very acidic and Low in alcohol but it actually has 14 of

Alcohol and it has quite a lot of Texture and richness and it's not super Not Super Fresh but I really like it I Mean it's definitely not a complex one But it's it's a nice quaffable wine you Know something that you can open and you Don't have to think too much about it Even though there's some more substance There as well this is the one that well If you have a plate of cold cuts this is The wine to go with but if you love Concentrated and Rich wines with lots of Tannins lots of body and well lots of Fruit flavor like ripe fruit flavor and Oak flavor then this well just don't Drink it but I'm going to rate it 87 Points I think it's a really interesting Wine it's not super cheap I think it Retails for somewhere around 40 US Dollars but it's pretty good but now Let's move on to the 2015 domain de la Pants Savannah Is for me the most exciting grape Variety planted in Jura because you Don't find it in many other places and You don't find wines as expressive made From this grape variety and many other Places so I'm a big fan of Savannah like I mentioned earlier it's one of the ogs In the vitis vinifera family together With Pinot Noir and Grace Vlog it's kind Of weird that only Pinot is actually Still really well known for producing Great wines but yeah savanya has played

An important role in producing some of The most widely planted grape varieties In the world so major leopard is one of The if not the biggest biodynamic estate In Jura it's not easy to make biodynamic Wines in Jura because the weather can be Very variable and can get really wet and That means that diseases spread quite Quickly and if you don't have all of the Chemicals available at your disposal you Might lose a lot of your crop every year And that does happen at domain quite Regularly but the one they put in Bottle Tends to be really good they use a lot Of old barrels so you don't get a lot of Toastiness from the brick but you get More oxidative a little bit more complex Wines that are really age-worthy and Well let's taste this one so the wine Smells of tangerines ripe Apple there's Also a little bit of flavor of rye bread Something like that on the palette it's Really rich and concentrated but in the Finish the acidity breaks it all up and Well the Finish is Super Fresh and very Long this is exactly what I like about Savanya it combines concentration and Richness with lots of finesse and it Brings flavors into the glass that Some other grape varieties can't bring Into the glass this is good so this one With a pulan a la creme with morals That's just perfection that's exactly That's what I could eat every day so I'm

Going to rate this 93 points I think It's absolutely delicious and it retails For somewhere around 40 US dollars so This is actually a good value too the Next one is the 2019 Le gravier from Tiso Stefan tiso is one of the most Famous if not the most famous producer In the region he is very charismatic and Very talented he really knows his stuff He produces some really outstanding Wines and I actually prefer his Shadowness to some of his other ones Made from the indigenous grape varieties From the region they tend to be really Delicious by the way many of the ones Are actually filled in bottles let's say Jura on the bottle itself so you get a Totally different bottle shape there Which makes the wine even more special I Guess is one of his single Vineyard Wines the soil there is limestone and Clay with small pebbles in there and it Actually is fairly similar to The Burgundian soil I mean there are quite a Few similarities between Jura and Burgundy it's not far away the soil Types are fairly similar the climate has Some similarities as well for some time It was kind of people thought that Jura Is the place where you get better value But that is changing quite a bit as Production is very limited and the Demand for Azura wines is growing as Well but the wines still tend to be

Cheaper than the ones in burgundy Because every wine region is cheaper Than burgundy okay aromatically this is More delicate the there's more lemon Zest and well green apple flavor toast The Oak and a little bit of reduction But on the palette I mean this is 14 and A half percent of alcohol so there's Quite a lot of richness but the acidity Is so Lively and refreshing it's amazing There's a little bit of nuttiness in Their influences from the maturation in Oak and maturation on the lease but it's Also well combined I'm going to rate This 93 points and I think at 50 US Dollars retail it's actually a pretty Amazing wine so let's finish this Tasting by tasting the most famous wine From the region Is a bit of an acquired taste and some People hate the wine while others love It I definitely love Rajon and I also Love Fino Sherry the wines tend to be Really complex and really exciting Bonjourn has the reputation to be really Age-worthy so some of these wines can Age for many many decades actually Bought this bottle at the estate five Years ago maybe and was wrapped in this Cling film when I got it and I never Really touched it so this is the Occasion where I'm going to open it Together with you so feels special Legend has a the Cleveland bottle is

Actually 620 milliliters in size because That's what's left of a liter of Valjean Aged in Barrel so this is obviously not An exact science but it is kind of true That quite a lot of the wine evaporates Over time and therefore what's left in The barrel is actually really Concentrated and Rich so this wine from The 2000 vintage was aged for six years In Barrel under a veil as they call it Of lease and these yeast actually change The wine quite significantly they Changed the flavor of it but they also Eat all of what is left of the sugar in The wine so the wine gets really dry and You get this nuttiness and well wild Curry flavors often times so it makes The wine really interesting by the way Jura is also the name of the mountain Ranges found here in this region in Switzerland and in southern Germany and These mountains actually gave the name To the Jurassic period which is today Really famous because it gave the name To the movie Jurassic Park but there are No dinosaurs here I think okay looks Like the cork is coming out all right In one piece That's That's good And I can already smell the wine varjon Is usually consumed at Cellar Temperature so you shouldn't drink it Straight from the fridge it should be

More between 14 and 16 degrees Celsius And it looks like liquid gold Really beautiful this one really makes Me happy but I also know that a lot of People won't like it I mean this combo Of nuttiness soy sauce there's also a Little bit of curry flavor coming Through on the palette it's Just very dry very fresh the acidity Tends to be higher than for Sherry and It's just it's just really complex but Not fruity at all so the wine will Develop further in bottle I don't think It's at its peak yet but it's already Really complex and it's actually a great Wine with food if you have Rich and Concentrated dishes with creamy sauces This goes beautiful but there's Something else I need to try right now Give me a second So the Jura is not only famous for its Wine but also for its cheese production And this is compte cheese which is a Beautiful match with bonjour Oh So simple but so good Delicious so I'm going to rate this one 95 points I think it's absolutely Beautiful it might even be a little bit Too young right now but it's delicious So try some banjon you might not like it But if you like it You will really like it alright this was A delicious tasting the rural region

Surrounds quite a lot of hype but I Think there is definitely something There's there beautiful wines coming out Of this region distinctive wines that Are special and different to well many Other regions I definitely have to say That even though this is pretty good I Do prefer the white ones that are just More beautiful the chardonnis can be Outstanding and savanya is just Something really special so thank you For watching if you like this video then Please like it down here subscribe to my Channel if you haven't done so already My question of the day is what do you Think about Jura have you tasted the Wines before or not do you like them or Don't you like them let me know down in The comments I hope I see you guys again Very soon until then stay Thirsty [Music]