2015 Benedicte et Stephane Tissot "Château-Chalon", Jura, France

Château-Chalon is a vin jaune, aged in 228l barrels without topping up for six years, in which time a third of the volume evaporates and the wine is protected by a film of yeast. The product of a small 1.25 hectare parcel on the hillsides of Château-Chalon, this is a wine with great complexity and finesse, offering yeasty aromas of freshly-baked bread. Oxidation flavours are subtle, blending with a pleasant freshness and lovely minerality. This vin jaune is the perfect accompaniment to chicken cooked in vin jaune, any dish containing morel mushrooms or truffle, or even alongside aged Comté cheese.

The domain might still carry the name of his parents, but Stéphane Tissot (and his wife Bénédicte) took over the family business over 20 years ago. In 1995, Stéphane began to reduce the amount of fertiliser so as to pave the way for organic viticulture. Around this time he also stopped using chemical herbicides altogether. In 1999, the then 28 hectares (now 46 hectares) became entirely organic and, after a few years, the whole domain became biodynamic in 2004 (Demeter certification). Stéphane’s hard work has transformed the quality of the grapes. With such good quality fruit, vinifications are relatively easy and require very little intervention. Natural yeasts are used in fermentation and a very small amount of sulphites are added, nothing else. The end result is an excellent expression of terroir with intense aromas. Stéphane’s quest to convey his many different terroirs has led him to produce nearly 50 different cuvées from many different grape varieties using various vinification methods. For example, for the Savagnin, a variety typical of the Jura, the property produces wines with and without oxidation (i.e. topping up of the barrels) and vin jaune. This domain is at its zenith and is one of the Jura’s best kept secrets.