Sous Voile, Sans Stress
Serhii's Greatest Hits (and your first vin jaune crisis)
By Boris · Hosted by Boris Buliga
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
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Join to read it and the restNicolas 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.
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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.
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Join to read it and the restPhilippe 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.
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Join to read it and the restPhilippe 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.
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Join to read it and the restDomaine 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 $SO_2$.
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Join to read it and the restDomaine 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.
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Join to read it and the restAndre 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.
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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.
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Join to read it and the restFinal 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.