2017 Chateau d'Arlay Côtes du Jura Rouge, Jura, France

100% Pinot Noir

The vineyards face due south, on a very rich soil made up of grey marl with limestone rolled stones. The grapes are vinified in a combination of steel and concrete tank. After vinification, the wine is aged in oak barrels for 2 years before bottling.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Selected as the 'First Royal Vineyard of France' in the year 630, Château d'Arlay has remained in the Laguiche family since the 12th century. Before that time it was owned, at different times, by the Kings of France, Spain, and England. These are among a few key reasons why the Château is registered as a National Monument. It isn't only the history buffs coming by every year to visit, however. The Laguiche family knows a thing or two about winemaking...(see also: Montrachet). Count Alain de Laguiche has been at the helm of Château d'Arlay since the early 1980s after taking over for his father,  Count Renaud de Laguiche. Today, Alain produces a tremendous lineup of Jurassic wines from their nearly 50 acres of vineyards located just outside the château's walls. 

Interested in keeping things traditional, Alain has kept his lineup of wines easy to follow, even for Côte du Jura! 

One of the last, if not THE last, Jura wineries producing a 'Corail' (Coral) style wine from all five Jura varietals (Red: Pinot Noir, Poulsard, Trousseau. White: Savagnin, Chardonnay), Alain will tell you that a century ago the overwhelming majority of wines produced were 'Corail' with very few reds and whites to be found. 

Certified organic, the 25-hectare property is planted with old vines of Poulsard, Trousseau, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Savagnin. The rich and complex terroir is composed of limestone and various marls. Their southern-facing vines benefit from maximum maturity and are protected from northern winds by the hill and the ruins of the medieval castle.

The estate is renowned for its traditional wine-making and long oak barrel aging. Indigenous yeasts are used for the fermentations, and the juices are transported by gravity, with gentle extractions and long macerations to follow. The use of sulphites is judicious and no other inputs or interventionist techniques are used. Fresh, complex with amazing ageing potential wines are thus produced.