Jura wine dinner, with Michael M. and Susan: Served with leeks vinaigrette. There doesn't seem to be any consensus about whether the grape known as 'melon a queue rouge' in Jura is the same as chardonnay, a local variant, or really a different grape altogether. Gahier seems to express some opinion by labelling some of his wines as chardonnay and this one as melon, and if this is chardonnay, it is definitely not your grandmother's chardonnay. Aged for four years in untopped casks, but not showing the sherry quality of many of the Jura wines aged like that, though it does have an unusual intensity and wildness. The wine doesn't look fully oxidized -- dark yellow with a slight pinkness. Initial blast of smoky, charred aroma, followed by a long lemony intensity. I opened it about an hour before dinner and found the acidity to be quite searingly elevated, so I decanted it and that helped a lot. When we got to it about 90 minutes later, it still had the initial charred quality, and the lemony acidity, but much more complexity had emerged -- salinity, apple cider, lavender. Impressive complexity and length.
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3/2/2024 - talbot61 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Jura wine dinner, with Michael M. and Susan: Served with leeks vinaigrette. There doesn't seem to be any consensus about whether the grape known as 'melon a queue rouge' in Jura is the same as chardonnay, a local variant, or really a different grape altogether. Gahier seems to express some opinion by labelling some of his wines as chardonnay and this one as melon, and if this is chardonnay, it is definitely not your grandmother's chardonnay. Aged for four years in untopped casks, but not showing the sherry quality of many of the Jura wines aged like that, though it does have an unusual intensity and wildness. The wine doesn't look fully oxidized -- dark yellow with a slight pinkness. Initial blast of smoky, charred aroma, followed by a long lemony intensity. I opened it about an hour before dinner and found the acidity to be quite searingly elevated, so I decanted it and that helped a lot. When we got to it about 90 minutes later, it still had the initial charred quality, and the lemony acidity, but much more complexity had emerged -- salinity, apple cider, lavender. Impressive complexity and length.
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5/15/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
A powerhouse of acidity and delicious for it.
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5/14/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
So darn delicious even across for days being open
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6/26/2020 - marshalc Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beautiful, distinct Jura nose. Very fine. Very full nose, light body. For me, quite impressive.
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4/30/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Smells amazing with tons of smoke. Wow that is amazing.
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