France-Comté vineyards

<< See the vineyards of Jura

In Franche-Comté, Gold tastes like Savagnin
In one of the oldest vineyards in the whole of France, six little sisters, of what is called 'controlled origin', are bred and raised from five grape varieties that have deep roots in the history of Franche-Comté: Savagnin, Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Trousseau and Poulsard. For 5,000 years now, oblivious to the passage of time, they have been born again each autumn. From Rabelais to Brel, many are the poets who have stopped by in these vineyards to celebrate its delights.

The white grape varieties

Savagnin
Savagnin, the grape most cherished by Jura wine-growers, is used for yellow wine and represents 15% of the planted area. The Jura is its home of predilection, for it appears that it is only here that it gives such expression to its qualities. Savagnin, which is said to owe its name to the word 'sauvage', meaning 'wild', comes from vines which were wild and are said to have been acclimatised by the canonesses of Château-Chalon. It is harvested in late October when the grapes turn a bronze colour.

Chardonnay
Since the 14th century, the Jura has welcomed this grape variety which hails originally from Burgundy. It accounts for 45% of the vineyards. It is sometimes associated with Savagnin, giving it more body and discreetly enhancing the taste of the soil.
 

The red grape varieties

Poulsard
Poulsard owes its name to the “Pelousse”, an edible wild berry that is grown in the north of Jura. It gives a clairet or light red wine, which is why it is often referred to as a rosé. It is drunk young, and has hints of undergrowth about it.

Pinot noir
This is the first grape to ripen, and is another guest from Burgundy. It is rarely used alone, but more frequently to enhance the colour and structure of the Poulsard.

Trousseau
To be found in the north of the area, accounting for 5% of the total vineyards. It is a rare, whimsical and little known variety, giving an intense red wine more than capable of standing comparison to the grand cru wines of the more famous vineyards.

 

Six A.O.C. wines from five grape varieties

Château-Chalon, the birthplace of yellow wine
Yellow wine is the gold of Jura. A wine like no other in France, it used to be the speciality of the abbesses at Château-Chalon, whose abbey was founded in the 7th century. Since the pleasures of the flesh were forbidden to them, legend has it that they transferred all their love to wine production. More prosaically, however, it may well be that the history of this unusual, surprising and somewhat magical wine is actually just down to luck: it is said that a wine grower who had left an old cask at the bottom of his cellar rediscovered it a few years later and found that his wine had been completely transformed.
The village of Château-Chalon stands high on its rocky spur over the region of Le Revermont, gazing over its 50 hectares of vineyards which alone are entitled to boast the Château-Chalon appellation.

The five hills of L’Étoile
Only white wine is produced in the 80 ha of vines that surround the village of L’Etoile, on the five hills each of which is bestridden by a castle. This wine, born of a land where fossils in the shape of stars still remain hidden, has a very assertive flinty flavour with more than a little hazelnut.

Arbois, capital of the Jura vineyards
The wines of Arbois can boast to have been the very first in France to have been selected for AOC status, and are as such something of a flagship for the entire Jura vineyards. 800 ha of vines surround the medieval village where Louis Pasteur, the father of modern oenology, had his quarters.

A Côtes du Jura with a palette of colours
The Côtes du Jura appellation stretches across the whole Revermont region from Port Lesney to Saint Amour, occupying 700 ha of vineyards and covering over 60 wine-growing villages. The whole range of Jura wines is to be found here.

Crémant gives a real sparkle to your celebrations
The Jura has a long association with bubbles, because sparkling wines go back to the 18th century. The Crémant du Jura AOC wine is produced using the traditional method of a second fermentation in the bottle.
 

Macvin, the suitor of Margaret of Flanders

This liqueur wine is matured for at least 18 months in oak casks, and is made from grape must and Jura marc. It was a favourite with the wife of Philip the Bold. A very grapey nose gives way to an endlessly velvety mouth.

An unusual product and 3 Vins de Pays

This sweet wine is a little known product which is made from grapes that have been left to dry: at the beginning of the harvest, the finest grapes are collected in wicker baskets and left out on a bed of straw, or sometimes left hanging in a well-aired room for two to three months. The raisins are then allowed to ferment very slowly, and a wine is obtained that contains between 14.5 and 17% alcohol. The wine is aged in oak casks for three years. The total yield is very small, because 100 kg of grape are needed to make just 18 l of wine.
 

Courbet wine

The Loue Valley has recently rediscovered its ancient wine-growing tradition, which had been abandoned back in 1965, thanks to the work by a local association, RURANIM. Since 1992, six hectares of vineyards planted on the sun-soaked hillsides have been producing wines made from Poulsard, Auxerrois and Chardonnay grapes. While the first few harvests were reserved for the 1,600 members of RURANIM, they are now on sale to all those who have a fondness for this excellent vin de pays.
 

Charcenne, an oasis of vines

Towards the end of the last century, the phylloxera plague put an end to the wines of Charcenne. That they have risen from the ashes is due to the stubbornness and the know-how of the Guillaume family, wine-producers from generation to generation since 1732 and producers of quality vine stock, and who have breathed new life into the vineyards of this little corner of Haute-Saône. The soil of Charcenne bears comparison with that of the prestigious Burgundy vineyards, and the exposition of its hillsides is also not dissimilar to its famous neighbour. The Guillaume family have recreated a wine-growing area which includes those varieties which, in days gone by, made the renown of this vin de pays. Over 20 ha have been planted on the marvellous soils of Charcenne and Gy.

As a consequence, the Charcenne wines are developing a solid reputation for quality in their own category, winning award after award. For example, they have the honour of figuring in the pages of a specialist wine guide and of having been awarded a prize by a major national daily newspaper.