2018 Domaine Labet Trousseau Les Parcelles Rares Les Chaseaux

Domaine Labet is in Rotalier, in the southern part of Jura. It is today run by siblings Julien, Charline and Romain, who have taken over from their parents Alain and Josie. Part of the 33-acre estate is certified organic and the rest is being converted to organic farming. Like many producers in Jura, the estate uses very little sulfur dioxide in its wine production. Domaine Labet makes white, red and sparkling wines. Labels on the various wines can be slightly confusing, as Julien has, over the years, sometimes used his own name, or his name and his father’s name. But all are made on the family estate by the Labets.

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.