Bonjour ça va ?
L’été is here and we’ve been living sans restrictions since the 17 June. Well, for now at least… The Delta variant is starting to snake its way around the Hexagon, so much so that E-Mac announced that the Pass Sanitaire (a certificate attesting that you are fully vaccinated or have a negative PCR test from less than 48 hours before) will be required from the 1 August to go anywhere fun (restaurants, bars, cinemas, museums, shopping centres, sporting facilities).
The double whammy? PCR tests will no longer be free from the beginning of autumn. That means that if you are not vaccinated it will set you back at least 50€ to even step inside a bar. A bold move from E-Mac who is in the final months of his presidential term—it sounds awfully like a way to dragoon the anti-vaxxers into getting the dreaded jab. Pas de surprise, the protests have already started.
But today’s newsletter isn’t about COVID, it’s l’heure du vin s’il vous plaît. As I toe my way about this year’s terrace season with more mindfulness than previous years (thank you COVID and the hours I had locked alone with my own thoughts), I’ve been trying to drink with more meditation on, more marvel for the stories behind wine. A sommelier friend of mine reiterated the point of seeing beyond the pour in your glass, allowing the taste and smell to trigger your imagination as you dream about who and what married together to make the wine you are drinking.
So with a storytelling lens in focus, it comes with little surprise that my own oenological fantasies began in the mystical forested foothills of a mountain range cramped between France and Switzerland: Jura.
The ‘Jurassic’ geological period is named as such because limestones dating from that era were first discovered in the Jura region.
WORD ON THE GRAPEVINE
Pas de soucis if you’ve never heard of Jura: the region has only come into popularity, and become recognised as distinct of its neighbouring Savoie, in the last decade or so. I asked Google what has driven this increased interest and was directed towards a Reddit topic on the subject. The ever-eloquent Redditor ‘the_original_swigger’ explained that once upon a time:
“only hipsters were drinking it. Pretty sure the current increase in popularity is due to more mainstream drinkers becoming hip to the shit.”
I think what they are trying to say is that as the prices of Bordeaux and Burgundy wines skyrocketed, wine connoisseurs searched elsewhere in France for more affordable options. And with a climate similar to that of Burgundy—but more frigid, dewier—some think that Jura will be able to longer withstand the effects of global warming.
Historically, Jura’s claim to oenological notoriety was its distinctive vin jaune. Note that vin jaune (yellow wine) is not some crass nickname for white wine: made from Savagnin, a white grape variety, and matured in a barrel under a layer of yeast (the voile), it has a peculiar taste similar to that of dry fino sherry—yet it is not a fortified wine. Drink at your own risk! This is not a wine to be guzzled down at apéro with friends; it’s better off being sipped sumptuously as an accompaniment to Comté cheese, also from the Jura region and with which it pairs perfectly.
In conversations with friends in the industry, the names of Jurassic winemakers such as Pierre Overnoy, Domaine de la Tournelle, and Jean-François Ganevat were frequently raised as those responsible for the transformation of the region. These winemakers saw the potential for Savagnin, in particular, to be so much more than just vin jaune, translating techniques from regions like Burgundy in order to create the exquisite wines for which Jura is now known.
The grape variety Savagnin is found in just two places: Jura and Australia—because of a translation error. Vine cuttings brought from a Spanish nursery to Australia were believed to be Albarino, another white grape variety, and the wines produced were labelled as such. In 2008, a visiting French expert tasted that something was not quite right! And a subsequent DNA test revealed the grapes were in fact of the Savagnin variety. Oops.
Jura has been back in the headlines recently as the wine world pays homage to Pascal Clairet, the beloved vigneron of Domaine de la Tournelle, who died of suicide in May this year. In the months that followed, two other winemakers also passed away, Olivier Lemasson and Dominique Belluard.
We can’t speak in binaries when it comes to suicide, nor can we in any way attempt to graft reasons and motivations to the event, but I think this article from Le Fooding neatly outlines the hardships faced by many winemakers today. Climate change, increased mediatic and commercial pressures, COVID-19: winemaking is an isolated labor of love (and even more so when the salons and tastings which vignerons often cherish as an opportunity to connect were cancelled these past 18 months).
It’s so easy to slop a glass down the hatch with little to no afterthought, but this week (and beyond) I encourage you to drink with more sensitivity and more wonderment for the work and the people behind the wine in front of you.
SHRINE TO THE VINE
Given we are on the topic of Jura, the Shrine to the Vine has to go to the region’s resident rockstar Jean-François Ganevat, a booming character who’s almost as Jurassic as time itself: his family have been making wine (and comté!) in the region since 1650. Sneak a peak at this documentary to have an idea of just how much larger-than-life both the man and his winemaking methods are (though bonne chance understanding the jurassien accent).
My aforementioned affair with wine actually began with FanFan, as Ganevat is affectionately known amongst the wine community, when I had the opportunity to taste his infamous cuvée Les Vignes de Mon Père, a wine made from 100% savagnin grapes planted by his father in 1930. But that was four years ago—these days, this same cuvée sells for 300€ upwards.
FanFan had what was the equivalent of an Ivy League education for winemaking, working as the cellar master for Domaine Jean-Marc Morey (a prestigious vineyard in Burgundy) until he returned to take over the family domaine in 1998. With 8.5 hectares (which is not a lot) under 25 different grape varieties (a lot), he produces around 45 different cuvées each year (A LOT).
FanFan’s reputation as a modern alchemist who spins grapes into gold comes from his application of Burgandian savoir-faire to his Jurassic vineyards and his pinpointed use of biodynamic principles. One of the main reasons winemakers add suflites to wines is to ensure stability during transportation; yet FanFan adds minimal to zero sulfites and, somewhat miraculously, his wines have never suffered as they are shipped to all four corners of the globe. The work of a wine wizard some might say…
Thirsty for FanFan’s liquid gold? Well Midas’ touch comes with a price tag and a long waiting list these days as FanFan’s fan base grows. However, a great way to get in on the magic is through his negoce wines: after losing large amounts of his harvest to frost, FanFan and his sister Anne purchased grapes from friends in regions such as Alsace and Beaujoulais to blend with estate varieties resulting in some really fun (and affordable) wines. Look out for J’en veux encore, Kopin, or Poulprix, amongst others.
But dépêchez-vous! Word on the grapevine is that Ganevat has sold his Domaine to a Russian buyer for an undisclosed amount and it’s unclear for the moment whether he will stay on as the winemaker or return to Burgundy…
TASTING NOTES
Other great domaines from the Jura region are Buronfosse (located in the same town as FanFan!), Domaine de la Tournelle, Domaine des Bottes Rouges, and Domaine du Pélican
Vendages solidaires: Looking for a tangible way to support French winemakers (other than drinking their wines)? Consider supporting this organisation which lends aid to winemakers as they battle the unpredictable forces of climate change.
Stalin’s Cellar: A wine thriller! The gripping true-life tale of an Aussie bottle shop owner’s hunt for Stalin’s wine collection. It’s an easy read but a factual read and I learnt a lot about the wine trade and Georgian wines from this book. A perfect page turner for either the beach or lockdown, depending on which hemisphere you’re in.