2016 Domaine Joly Côtes du Jura Chardonnay "Les Varrons", Jura, France

After World War 2, first generation oenologist Michel Joly moved from Champagne to the Jura with the hopes of starting a new life in post-war France. He purchased a small plot of land in the L'Étoile appellation of the Jura, close to the village of Rotalier. In the late 1960s, Michel's son Claude joined the family business and began at the domaine to learn the traditional viticulture and winemaking of the Jura. Shortly after the purchase of an additional 6 hectares in 1997, Claude's son Cédric began working at the family estate after having completed his oenology and viticulture studies at Lycée Viticole de Beaune and two years of internships in Burgundy.

Today, the estate farms 6.5 hectares of vineyards using sustainable viticultural techniques and a focus on the traditional winemaking styles of the Jura region. As is the case in much of Jura, the vineyards consist of a myriad of different ancient soils from the Jurassic era including brown and blue marls, clay-limestone, and gravel. Vineyard parcels are planted with the traditional grape varieties of the Jura, including Poulsard, Trousseau, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Savagnin. Drawing from his experience in Burgundy, the family heritage from Champagne, and the traditions of the Jura, Domaine Joly produces a wide variety of wines from sparkling, still, sweet and the traditional oxidative wine from the Jura - Vin Jaune.