2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”La Marca di San Michele
Italy | Le Marche
$27
Producers
Starting its “Journey to the End of Nights” in Nuits-Saint-Georges, this ruby-hued beauty of Pinot Noir expresses the hallmarks of its birthplace. Its brambly black fruit and earthy, meaty underbelly are dynamically enlivened by the vibrancy and brightness of juicy Jura reds. Fresh and silky-fine, wild, and spiced, this stunner demands something equally characterful, like a lamb tagine or perfectly ripe Époisses. I don’t know if we have the answer to the age-old question of Nature or Nurture, but let me “drink about it.”
—Jennifer Oakes
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Pinot Noir |
Country: | France |
Region: | Jura |
Producer: | François Rousset-Martin |
Winemaker: | François Rousset-Martin |
Vineyard: | .16 ha, Planted in 1990 |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Bouzeron
Domaine Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
Domaine Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
Domaine Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
The Jura wine world is a fascinating, mysterious, and at times confusing one. The region’s recent surge in popularity on American wine lists lies in contrast with how strange its wines come across to the uninitiated, with many of its indigenous production methods and quirky winemakers requiring more than an introduction for one to fully savor their virtues. We firmly believe, however, that the pleasure at stake is well worth a slight detour to study the wild world of Jura.
Jura tradition calls for aging whites sous voile, or under a fine “veil” of yeast that grows over wine in barrel that has not been topped-off (non ouillé) to compensate for evaporation. The voile effectively slows the process of oxidation, while chemical reactions between these microorganisms and the wine below give rise to a highly distinctive and complex set of aromas. Often hinting at walnuts, beeswax, oriental spices, cheese rind, and brine, wines aged sous voile can come as a shock to the unhabituated palate. Their textural and aromatic singularity naturally sets them in a category of their own at table, perhaps the best setting in which to gain an appreciation for such wines.
Many Jura producers also produce more conventional whites in an ouillé, or topped-off style, as is practiced in Burgundy–or for that matter, in essentially all the white wines we are accustomed to. This method preserves fresh fruit flavors without the rather rustic, often funky oxidative notes typical of wines aged sous voile.
Domaine Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Bouzeron
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
Domaine Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
Domaine Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
Domaine Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
Domaine Rousset-Martin France | Jura | Côtes du Jura
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
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