2011 Domaine Berthet-Bondet Côtes du Jura Tradition Blanc, 3-bottle Lot

Domaine Berthet-Bondet is the lifetime work of Chantal and Jean Berthet-Bondet, a couple who met in the 1980s while studying at the agriculture college in Montpellier. Despite being first generation vignerons, the young couple bought a neglected 16th century domaine in the village of Château-Chalon that came with 47 acres of vineyards. They harvested their first crop in 1985 and have since converted to organic farming. The domaine grows Chardonnay, Savagnin, Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir. Today the couple’s daughter Hélène is also working at the domaine and preparing to take over from her father as winemaker. About 50,000 bottles are produced annually.

Jura is France’s smallest wine region, with about 4,000 acres of vineyards, and one of its least well-known. Nestled into the foothills of the Jura Mountain range on the far eastern side of central France near Switzerland, the region includes four geographic appellations. They are Arbois, Côtes du Jura, Etoile and Château-Chalon. There are also two appellations that pertain to the style of wine made, Crémant du Jura and Macvin, which is a liqueur. Jura grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, like its neighbor Burgundy, but is especially admired among cognoscenti for its distinctive regional grapes, which are the white grape Savagnin and the red grape Ploussard. Savagnin is the grape used for the region’s famous Vin Jaune, made from late harvest grapes and vinified somewhat in the manner of Jerez Sherry. The end result is a yellowish, somewhat nutty wine. Savagnin, known locally as Naturé, is also often blended with Chardonnay, known in Jura as Melon d’Arbois. The red grape Trousseau is also grown in Jura.