Jura Party by Vova Ulianov

| From the ice-age to the dole-age | There is but one concern | I have just discovered | | Some Fridays are better than others | Some Fridays are better than others | Some people Fridays are better than other peoples' Fridays | | [...] | | As Anthony said to Cleopatra | As he opened a crate of wine: | "Oh I say" | | Some Fridays are better than others | Some Fridays are better than others | Some people Fridays are better than other peoples' Fridays | | [...] | | --- Steven Morrissey, I guess

Vova strikes again. Your Friday may be cool, but is it even close to the Jura Party level of coolness? Aye, I doubt it. And I have some good reasons to. Nine of them, to be precise. The obvious ones are depicted in the picture above. But did you know that on Saturday morning Mr Morrissey used a time machine to travel back in 1986 and write a song about this Friday evening? Aye, that's how cool it was.

Frankly speaking, I am speechless. Look at these beautiful bottles. Look at these cards to accompany the wine-tasting process. Vova brings wine parties to a new level.

Patrice Beguet Silk Blue 2020

It's interesting to taste this wine in a more developed state. And it has some character. Dried cranberry, red currant, brett and blood (iron, oh, the irony). Light and crisp with low and soft tannin. It's fairly balanced. The aftertaste is long with flavours of cranberry and blood. It has nice metallic touch in the finish, but the bitterness is a bit disturbing.

Domaine de Saint Pierre Le Rouge 2019

What a lovely blend of Pinot Noir and Ploussard. An aromatic and youthful bouquet of Nordic red berries, blood, and wild strawberries on a VA canvas. It's light, fresh, well-balanced and sophisticated. The aftertaste is long with flavours of raw meat, Nordic red berries, and bakery spices with a metallic and salty finish.

Domaine de Saint Pierre Les Gaudrettes 2020

Les Gaudrettes is a young, demanding and beautiful Pinot Noir in a cold style. Sour cherry, pomegranate, red flowers, spices and tomato soup. Medium-bodied, crisp and well-balanced. The aftertaste is long and flavourful.

Les Bottes Rouges La Pépée 2018

Meet Jean-Baptiste Menigoz, a former teacher in Arbois working with special needs children. At some point, he became fixated on low-intervention wines and decided to devote all his free time away from school to work in the vines. Under the tutelage of Stéphane Tissot, Jean-Baptiste learned the ins and outs of the wine world. In 2012 committed fully to trading his classroom for his vineyards.

Being a music lover, Jean-Baptiste named Domaine after a French song (The Red Boots). Musical references continue to pop up in the names of his cuvées. For example, Tôt out Tard (Sooner or later) is the name of an independent French record label.

Now meet Florien Kleine Snuverink, a former owner of the famed Café Schiller in Amsterdam (Netherlands). She moved to Jura to learn winemaking. Initially, Florien planned to purchase some vines for herself but ultimately decided to join Jean-Baptiste.

So this is Domaine Les Bottes Rouges and two friends that started with different careers in different countries but decided to take the life-changing decision to work full-time as winemakers.

La Pepée is the first Pinot Noir of Jean-Baptiste Menigoz, sourced from two vineyards, one near La Mulatiere and the other near Les Bodines. The vines are planted in clay soils and are vinified using the same techniques as Tôt ou Tard. Élevage is a bit different, with half of the juice pressed into 600L barriques and the rest into stainless steel. He then adds a bit of $SO_2$ at bottling (the exact amount depends on the vintage).

A bit funky but overall beautiful Pinot Noir. Red flowers, sour cherry, pickles, wormwood, and leather. Light and fresh with soft tannin and good balance. Flavours of wormwood, red flowers and cherry. Lovely structure with a long aftertaste.

Les Bottes Rouges face b 2017

Produced from a 100% Savagnin, this wine is made using the "ouillé" method. This denotes a different technique to that of the other regional speciality, Vin Jaune, as the barrels are "topped up" during maturation to minimise oxidative ageing and preserve the freshness of the wine.

This is the wine I would love to drink on a daily basis. It's quaffable, sophisticated yet approachable, open and delicious. Stone fruits, canned pineapple, tilia honey, apple cookies, lemon candy (or was the lemon baked?). Fresh, medium-bodied, well-structured and balanced with flavours of baked apples, lemon candy and honey. The aftertaste? Very long with a persistent touch of pineapple. Neat stuff.

Renaud Bruyère & Adeline Houillon Arbois Blanc Les Nouvelles Chardonnay 2016

And now we get to the opus magnum of the evening. Renaud Bruyère and Adeline Houillon are tiny producers of biodynamic wines in the village of Pupillin. They started the winery in 2011 with a modest plot of 0.75 hectares they received from Stephane Tissot - to toy around and get some real experience.

Adeline is from Arbois, so she spent time in the vineyards even in childhood. What first was just a financial necessity, slowly became her call thanks to Pierre Overnoy and his wines.

Around 2001 she met Renaud. After working for five years in the restaurant, he was tired of this business and was thinking about switching to winemaking. He was only 21. Naturally (no pun intended), they fell in love. Adeline revealed the beauty of Jura and its wines, so they decided to dive into this world.

After the formal study, Adeline worked for a few years on Pierre Overnoy. Meanwhile, Renaud learned the craft from Stephane Tissot. So after 10 years, they started their own winery with Les Tourillons plot they received from Stephane Tissot. Today they own around 5 hectares in the heart of Pupillin.

I could not find trustworthy technical information about this wine.

It's always interesting to taste loud labels. IMO this wine is beautiful and worth the hype, though not sure if it's worth the money. Anyways, a curious bouquet of wet wool (in a good way), lemon, sunflower seeds, flint, salted peanuts and bakery. Crisp mouthfeel, the juice is almost perfectly balanced. Evolving, long and delicious. Of course, I would love to taste this wine again.

Renaud Bruyère & Adeline Houillon Arbois Pupillin Savagnin 2014

Just like Les Bottes Rouges face b 2017, this Savagnin is made using the "ouillé" method. The technical information is scarce, so I have nothing else to share with you.

Tasting this wine for the second time in a short time span. Am I angry? Don't be silly. Of course, I am delighted. Look, it's beautiful ouillé Savagnin. Stone fruits, mushrooms, wet cellar, wet wood, sardines in olive oil. Complex, delicate and multilayered wine with good structure and balance. Despite the age, it's so contagiously lively. Great stuff.

Domaine de la Touraize Savagnin oxydatif 2016

There are two possible reasons for this failure. Either I was tired already or it was a bad idea to serve it after all those beautiful wines. It felt too simple, frankly speaking. Typical veiled bouquet of nuts, mould and dried fruits with some chalky twist. Yet it was too heavy for the moment. Completely subjective, I know.

Raw scores