Sous Voile, Sans Stress

We descend into Serhii's lair. Not to slay the dragon, mind you - this particular beast guards his Jura treasures not with fire and fury, but with an evangelical fervour that makes Jehovah's Witnesses look uncommitted. He doesn't want to fight us; he wants to convert us. And honestly? With a lineup like this, resistance is futile.

The real entertainment, though, won't be the wines themselves (magnificent as they promise to be). No, I'll be watching the Vin Jaune virgins - those brave souls about to experience their first hit of that oxidative, nutty, what-the-fuck-is-happening intensity that is aged Savagnin under voile. It's like watching someone bite into their first durian or hear Throbbing Gristle for the first time (look for live recordings). There's no middle ground here - you either immediately start planning your move to Arbois, or you're frantically searching for the nearest glass of Nebbiolo to wash away the trauma.

We have two Vin Jaunes on deck (the Tissot and the Domaine de Savagny), which means two opportunities to witness that beautiful moment when someone's entire understanding of what wine can be is shattered and reassembled. Some will emerge enlightened. Others will need therapy. Most will need another glass just to be sure.

The rest of the lineup reads like Serhii's greatest hits playlist - from Bornard's precision Chardonnays to Ganevat's Plein Sud (because of course there's Ganevat, this is Serhii we're talking about). Each bottle is a carefully hoarded gem, now being shared with the raiding party who've come not with swords but with stemware.

Welcome to Jura, kids. Leave your preconceptions at the door. You won't be needing them.

Patrick Bouju Festejar! Blanc 2021

Serhii poured this blind just to torture me. Mission accomplished, the bastard.

Fuck me, completely wrong-footed. Was convinced it was some Loire Chenin - half-right, but turns out there's also Chardonnay from Auvergne and Sylvaner from Alsace in here (or so Serhii tells me - impossible to verify this madness online). Cooked onions, quince and pear jam, cinnamon. Intensely oxidative and bright, with this bitter-sweet tension that actually works. Buttery weight carries it all. Confusing as hell but properly delicious.

L'Octavin Ivre de Vivre 2021

I generally don't get along with L'Octavin - we're like incompatible star signs or something. But this? Unexpectedly decent. Probably the best bottle I've had from them, which isn't saying much, but still. Some fruit trying to emerge through dried bitter herbs, like someone made a tisane and forgot they were making wine. Body's there but it's all loose and wobbly, like it can't quite decide what it wants to be. Not offensive, not brilliant, just... there. Maybe that's progress for us? Or maybe I'm getting soft. Either way, drinkable, which for me and L'Octavin counts as a minor miracle.

Nicolas Jacob Les Chazaux Poulsard 2022

Nicolas Jacob trained with Laurent Macle at Domaine Macle in Château-Chalon, then became Jean-François Ganevat's right hand before starting his own domaine. First bottled vintage was 2015 (released 2017), immediately creating massive curiosity in Jura circles.

Les Chazaux: 3.5 hectares near Augea municipality, mainly Poulsard with some Trousseau rows, on Trias and Lias marls. Complete destemming, indigenous yeast fermentation in fibreglass, 9 months ageing in old barrels of various sizes, no oenological additions.

Maybe not the best wine of the evening, but easily my favourite - I can see myself gulping the whole bottle solo.

Oh wow, this is beautiful. Touch of earth grounding all those rosehips and flowers, with hints of blood pudding keeping it real. Gorgeously juicy with crystalline minerality, pencil lead and blood iron mixing with ripe berry sweetness. Like sucking on some elegant hard candy. The development in glass is mesmerising - keeps unfolding new layers without getting all wild and gamey. This is Poulsard showing its ethereal grace without trying to be something bigger. Pure Jura magic that makes you understand why Jacob was Ganevat's protégé. Dangerous stuff - too easy to drink.

Domaine Ganevat Plein Sud 2018

Jean-François Ganevat has mentored the new generation, including Katie Worobeck, Nicolas Jacob, and Alexandre Plassat. Plein Sud blends old Trousseau vines from 1949 with younger plantings on grey marls and scree from the Chalandigna rock.

Fermentation without pumping over or punching down for minimal extraction. 12 months in 500L French oak barrels, bottled unfiltered, unclarified, without sulphites. Ganevat follows lunar cycles for vinification, with yields limited to maximum concentration.

Bit shy at first, needs coaxing. Then comes rhubarb with herbs and spices, strawberry and menthol dancing around each other. The body is fascinating - so juicy and light you'd never guess this is Trousseau. Usually Trousseau announces itself, but Ganevat's made it into something else entirely, all elegance and restraint. The evolution in glass is spectacular - every few minutes it shows a new face, each one more compelling than the last. This is masterclass winemaking: taking a grape known for structure and turning it into pure silk without losing its soul.

Philippe Bornard et Albert Ponnelle Chardonnay 2022

This collaborative project unites Philippe Bornard - who left the Fruitière de Pupillin co-op in 2005 on Pierre Overnoy's advice - with Albert Ponnelle. Bornard farms 11.2 hectares on gentle slopes around Pupillin, including typical Jura varieties plus the curiosity Melon à Queue Rouge.

Hand-picked grapes, minimal intervention vinification with indigenous yeasts, no inputs, and $SO_2$ used masterfully only at bottling. The collaboration produces very limited quantities - these are essentially unicorn bottles in France.

Oh this is fun. Not trying to be profound, just brilliantly made. Hazelnuts and toasted sunflower seeds (hello, Eastern European childhood), yellow fruits keeping it juicy. Beautiful saline edge with flowers, crackling acidity wrapped in surprising roundness. Honestly reminds me of some ouillé Savagnins - that same mineral tension without the oxidation. This is Bornard showing that "simple" doesn't mean simple when you know what you're doing. It's like he's taken Chardonnay and whispered Jura secrets to it until it forgot it wasn't Savagnin. Delicious stuff. No fireworks, just pure drinkability with that natural wine soul intact.

Philippe Bornard et Albert Ponnelle Les Viandris Chardonnay 2022

Les Viandris represents a specific lieu-dit bottling from the Bornard-Ponnelle partnership, showcasing how site-specific even their "entry-level" wines are. This is from Arbois-Pupillin terroir.

Extremely limited production from this specific parcel. Same natural winemaking philosophy as the basic cuvée - indigenous yeasts, no additions during vinification, minimal $SO_2$ at bottling.

Even better than the basic cuvée. This actually tastes like Chardonnay - more lemon, more of that buttery richness, even hints of oak. Round, intense, with serious structure holding it all together. Then boom - nettles appear in the aroma like an unexpected plot twist. So beautiful, so delicious. Les Viandris clearly has something special going on in that terroir. No wonder this topped everyone's list tonight - it's got that perfect balance of being immediately pleasurable while keeping you guessing. Bornard and Ponnelle aren't just making natural wine here, they're making wine wine that happens to be natural. Brilliant stuff.

Domaine de la Tournelle R VO Fleur de Savagnin 2018

Founded in 1991 by Evelyne and the late Pascal Clairet, the domaine works eight hectares biodynamically in Arbois, achieving organic certification in 2010. This represents the "ouillé" (topped) style of Savagnin - no oxidation, pure fruit expression.

From grey marl soils, hand-harvested with strict selection, pneumatic pressing of whole clusters, indigenous yeasts without sulphur. Second fermentation in 228L barrels (no new oak), malolactic the following spring, topped every 10 days without $SO_2$ for a minimum of 18 months, bottled according to biodynamic calendar with 0-15mg $SO_2$.

Wormwood and raw hazelnuts, valerian (or Barboval if you're Ukrainian and know that medicinal hit), sesame seeds. Then popcorn, vanilla, apricot and mango pile in. The acidity is brilliant, minerality like licking wet stones fresh from the sea. Citrus and white flowers try to keep things elegant while exotic spices and a touch of cheese funk remind you this is Savagnin, not some polite Chablis. The earthiness grounds everything beautifully. This is ouillé Savagnin at its best - all the grape's intensity without oxidation's heavy hand. La Tournelle showing how biodynamics can amplify terroir without getting all mystical about it.

Domaine Labet fleur de savagnin en chalasse 2018

The Labets were pioneers in the late 1980s, probably the first in Jura to produce topped whites instead of traditional oxidative styles - a small revolution that influenced many producers. Julien trained at Ramonet in Burgundy before returning to implement ethical agriculture, abolishing chemicals and minimising sulphur.

En Chalasse: 1.11 hectares of Savagnin (75% yellow, 25% green varieties) planted in 1990 and 2003 at 260m altitude on blue Lias marls. 22 months ageing in barrels and concrete egg, bottled at pH 3.03, $SO_2$ libre <6mg/L, total 20mg/L, volatile acidity 0.52g/L.

Wormwood and sesame again, but more honeyed and floral than La Tournelle, with this cidery edge that shouldn't work but does. Saturated and bright - this is Savagnin turned up to eleven without losing control. Hazelnuts and warm stones, that Jura signature, but then saffron appears like expensive punctuation. The acidity is savage but the balance is spot-on, like lemon meringue pie if the pastry chef had mineral obsessions. There's a creaminess holding it all together, layers revealing themselves with each sip. Labet showing why they were pioneers - this has precision and energy that makes other topped Savagnins look lazy. Killer wine.

Andre et Mireille Tissot La Mailloche Vin Jaune 2012

Second vintage of this single-parcel vin jaune (first was 2011), from 0.35 hectares of Savagnin acquired in 2009, converted to organic/biodynamic for three years before first vin jaune production. La Mailloche means "mallet" - named for the tool needed to work this exceptionally hard clay terroir of the Lias period.

Hand-harvested, destemmed, pneumatic pressing, spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel, then 6 years in old barrels under flor without topping - about 1/3 of volume evaporates. Bottled in 62cl clavelin with light filtration.

Dense and peaty nose - nuts, straw, candied orange all present and correct. The palate has this slightly hoppy character (that clay terroir showing off), rich and creamy with spices and walnuts carrying through. There's proper structure here, that firm clay backbone giving weight and just enough bitterness to keep things interesting. Maple syrup sweetness trying to balance everything. Long finish that goes on forever. But something's off in the balance - not quite singing like it should. This bottle's not showing its best, which is frustrating because you can taste what it wants to be. Even compromised, it's still bloody good. La Mailloche on an off day still beats most wines at their peak.

Domaine de Savagny Château Chalon 2017

While both are vin jaune styles, Château-Chalon AOC has stricter requirements: minimum 12% potential alcohol (vs 11.5% for other vin jaunes) and minimum 6 years 3 months ageing. Since 1958, a unique commission has inspected vineyards before harvest - they've refused the appellation in 1974, 1980, 1984, and 2001 when quality wasn't deemed sufficient. Think of it as vin jaune with an additional quality guarantee - same winemaking but stricter selection.

Domaine de Savagny operates 45 hectares between Château-Chalon and Baume-les-Messieurs, owned by Maison du Vigneron (Grands Chais de France group) since 2002. The Château-Chalon vineyard sits on clay-limestone marls covered with limestone scree, on slopes protected from north and east winds by cliff ramparts. Standard vin jaune production: 6+ years under flor in partially-filled barrels, developing the characteristic oxidative complexity.

More polished than the Tissot, like someone took vin jaune to finishing school. Classic Château-Chalon parade - walnuts, ripe yellow apples, candied fruit, curry, vanilla, all perfectly arranged. Round and structured with that light acidity keeping it floating rather than plodding. The finish stretches out with spices and this airy quality, like fresh bread with smoke around the edges. Great texture, everything in its place. Maybe too much in its place? This is vin jaune for people who iron their jeans. Technically excellent, hits all the marks, but I miss the wildness, the rough edges that make you pay attention. Still, hard to argue with this level of execution. The commission would be proud.

Final Words

This lineup perfectly showcases Jura's evolution - from old-school oxidative styles to new-wave natural producers, from delicate indigenous varieties to the immortal vin jaune. Serhii has curated a journey through both tradition and innovation.

Raw scores