Domaine Macle winery
Ch teau-Chalon Jean Macle is the oldest famous of the six Jura appellations of origin. This unique hill of only 19 hectares is home to the extraordinary Vin Jaune made from the Savagnin variety. The grapes are harvested late and then aged in small oak barrels for a minimum of six years and three months, although some producers age their Vin Jaune for up to 10 years or more in barrels. Slightly porous oak barrels, by design, are not completely airtight, and nearly 40% of the wine evaporates over the years. This loss is not filled and a thick layer of flower yeast, which looks like white foam, develops on the surface of the wine and helps prevent excessive oxidation. This aging method, similar to that used for Fino sherry in Spain, but which in France is specific to the Jura, allows the wine to acquire its distinctive flavours, characteristic of walnut, almond, spices, and apple, before its launch. This remarkable dry wine, at its best, is immensely complex and highly aromatic, best appreciated after at least 10 years in the bottle. They cultivate 12 hectares, 8 planted in Chardonnay on the Jura Coast and 4 planted in Savagnin in Ch teau-Chalon. They make sous voile or 'under the veil', a semi-oxidative style of wine. Vin Jaune is not made every year, depending on the quality of the grape. The Macle family has a 16th-century cave where they store all the barrels for aging. Attached to each barrel is a small spout that sits below the surface of the wine so that it can be tested without disturbing the veil of the flower.