Vin jaune is an oxidative wine. Of course, you must not confuse vin jaune with orange wine. A speciality of the Jura that gives rise to a major annual festival, vin jaune is at once confidential and yet magnificent to drink. Once you have discovered it, it goes without saying that you won’t be able to leave it aside for your next tastings.
What is vin jaune?
Vin jaune is a dry white wine. It is a wine made from a single grape variety: Savagnin. This grape variety is local to the Jura (we speak of an indigenous variety), the place where this wine is produced. It is not for nothing that it is often nicknamed “the gold of the Jura” or also “the yellow gold of the Jura”. It is an oxidative wine aged for, precisely, six years and three months in oak barrels. This ageing is carried out without topping up. In other words, during ageing the wine evaporates and nothing is added to refill the barrel. A thick layer of yeast then forms on the surface of the wine as it ages to protect it from oxidation. In this sense, it is an ageing under a veil. We then speak of controlled oxidation. During this ageing, about 40% of the volume of wine is lost through natural evaporation. This missing part is called “the Angels’ Share”. Furthermore, four appellations are authorised to produce this wine:
- Arbois
- Côtes du Jura
- Château-Chalon
- L’Étoile.
A bottle with an unusual shape
Vin jaune is bottled in an unusual way. Indeed, the Clavelin is the only bottle authorised to hold this wine. Its very particular shape benefits from an exemption to wine regulations. It is a tradition rooted since the 18th century. This bottle can hold 62 centilitres of liquid, roughly what remains of a litre of wine after the ageing it has undergone and that we explained earlier. So now you know why vin jaune comes in 62 cl! Impossible to be surprised by it from now on. The name of this bottle comes from the Clavelin family, who had this bottle specially made for their vin jaune in the 18th century. This bottle then gradually took hold to become the standard among producers.
Which vin jaune to choose?
Given how specific this wine is, there is little chance you will go wrong by asking your wine merchant. You will normally find some very fine bottles to taste. For our part, we recommend:
- Domaine Pierre Overnoy: it is one of the finest references for vin jaune in France and in the world. Théodore speaks about it very well in his interview.
- Château Chalon by Jean Macle: one of the essential classics.
- Domaine Jacques Puffeney: an iconic estate established since the 1960s.
- Domaine Berthet-Bondet: with excellent value for money.
- Domaine André et Mireille Tissot: with incredible wines.
Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive and you will be able to find magnificent references in all your tastings. By the way, do not hesitate to contact us to keep us posted on your tastings so that we can enrich this page.
Buy a bottle of Château Chalon
Don’t ask yourself how to taste a vin jaune. Indeed, these confidential, exceptional cuvées will delight your taste buds without any problem. Yours to enjoy: those delicious aromas of walnut, apple, curry and undergrowth.
Where to find a vin jaune from the Jura?
If you are used to doing your shopping and choosing your wine in a supermarket, it will not be easy to find this wine. You will certainly find this delicious nectar at your wine merchant. Ask them the question and they will head towards these bottles with a little smile on their lips. It also happens that some wine bars offer these wines by the glass. Indeed, since these wines are not at risk of oxidation, it is easy to leave them open for several days without it being a problem. These are nonetheless wines still little known to the general public. So it is not certain you will find them easily. Finally, you will of course find them if you buy your wine online. If you use a wine app, such as Vivino, you will easily be able to find a bottle. For example, you can buy a bottle of Château Chalon online on the Vinatis website. These bottles will be delivered directly to your home.
How to replace vin jaune in cooking?
Furthermore, you can use vin jaune for cooking: it is very common, especially for poultry and mushroom dishes. However, it is possible you won’t find any. So you wonder: what can I use to replace vin jaune? The first answer that comes to mind is “nothing”. Indeed, it is such a particular wine that you will struggle to find an equivalent. Nevertheless, you can turn to a white wine from the Jura that could be fairly close to it, such as a white Arbois for example. Of course, the effect will not be exactly the same, but it will give you a good alternative with a wine that is surely cheaper and as close as possible to your expectations. That said, if you are cooking such a dish you may have found the right occasion to set off and discover this yellow gold of the Jura. So it is the perfect moment to organise a tasting along the way!
How to drink vin jaune?
The wine serving temperature is a major factor in being able to enjoy a good tasting. So we advise serving vin jaune slightly chilled at a temperature of 15°. Such a temperature will allow the wine to fully express its various aromas. In addition, an opened bottle of vin jaune can be kept open without any problem for a long time. Indeed, you cannot oxidise an oxidative wine. So take your time to taste it.
What to eat with vin jaune?
One of the biggest questions among enthusiasts is when to drink vin jaune from the Jura? Or rather, with what? With this wine, you will find an explosion of flavours in your mouth. To make the most of this golden nectar, here are the food and wine pairings you can make with vin jaune:
- Poultry (in particular a capon with vin jaune);
- Shellfish;
- A mushroom-based dish (in particular morels);
- Foie gras;
- Fish (such as trout);
- Hard cheeses (Comté, Beaufort or Emmental).
In addition, this wine can also be used for other pairings; for example with spicy dishes. A curry chicken served with this wine would be an absolute delight.
La Percée du Vin Jaune: the must-see event
La Percée du Vin Jaune is the reference event to pay tribute to these magnificent bottles and to take the opportunity to do some delicious tastings. The first edition of this event was held in 1997. Today it brings together nearly 45,000 visitors a year. If you wish to take part, it is held every year in February. This event celebrates the opening of the barrels after six years and three months of ageing. The barrels are then said to be tapped. The wine competition organised on this occasion is the clavelinage, in tribute to the specific shape of the vin jaune bottle.
How to store vin jaune?
Don’t overthink storing this wine. You can keep it for decades without any problem in your wine cellar, or even 100 years! That’s plenty to feed into your wine cellar management app. Furthermore, once opened, vin jaune does not directly fear oxidation: so you can easily wait before finishing the bottle. In short, you have what it takes to make the pleasure last.
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