2021 Côtes du Jura, Savagnin, Arnaud Baillot
About this WINE
Arnaud Baillot
Arnaud Baillot first started producing wine in 2015 alongside his wife, Laure (whose family own Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat in Chambolle-Musigny). They focused primarily on buying grapes from high-quality terroirs to build a range spanning Bourgogne level to Grand Cru. They work from a brand-new winery in the centre of Beaune, completed in 2022. Arnaud’s goal is to make wines from his own vines and reduce his négociant activity. He slowly started buying vines in the Côte de Beaune, and by 2021 he had built up a nine-hectare estate, buying grapes from an additional 10 hectares. In just two years he accomplished his dream; with the 2023 vintage he is making wine almost entirely from domaine-owned vineyards. This is a Côte de Beaune specialist in the making.
Côtes du Jura
The Côtes du Jura wine-making region is in the Jura department of eastern France. The region’s climate is influenced by continental and oceanic factors, contributing to producing distinctive wines using traditional methods.
Côtes du Jura is renowned for its white wines, particularly those made from Chardonnay grapes, encompassing oxidative winemaking techniques, which offer characteristic nutty and oxidised flavours. Vin Jaune, a type of oxidative wine made from the Savagnin grape and aged for at least six years and three months in small oak barrels, is a standout example of the region’s unique offerings.
In addition to Vin Jaune, a variety of other wine styles are produced, including Côtes du Jura Blanc, which showcases the oxidative character typical of the region. Furthermore, the area has red wines made primarily from the Poulsard and Trousseau grape varieties, offering a range of flavours from light and fruity to more structured and complex.
The winemakers of Côtes du Jura take pride in preserving their winemaking heritage while exploring innovative techniques to craft exceptional wines. With its picturesque vineyards and dedication to producing high-quality wines, the region continues to captivate wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike, making it a fascinating destination for wine exploration and appreciation.
Savagnin
Savagnin is a high-quality white-wine grape cultivated almost exclusively in the Jura in eastern France. It is cultivated to a limited extent throughout the Jura vineyards (usually on the poorest marls soils on west-facing slopes) and may be included in any of the region's white wine appellations.
However it is most widely used but is usually in practice reserved for the Jura's extraordinary vin jaune. The Jura's most renowned wine undergoes a process similar to sherry, whereby a film of yeast covers the surface, thereby preventing oxidation but allowing evaporation and the subsequent concentration of the wine. The result is a "sherry-like" wine with a delicate, nutty richness.
Renowned ampelographer Pierre Galet maintains that Savagnin is identical to the Traminer which was once grown widely in Germany, Alsace, Hungary, and Austria, and that Gewürztraminer is the pink-berried musqué mutation of Savagnin.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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