L'ÉTOILE 2022
Grape Varieties
Chardonnay 90% – Savagnin 10%
Chardonnay originally comes from Burgundy. Nevertheless, it has been cultivated in the Jura since the 10th century and has become a native of this region. It gives white wines with floral aromas – citrus fruit, peach and white flowers – as well as hints of hazelnut and grilled almonds. It is combined with Savagnin, a typical Jura vine variety that expresses more mineral hints.
Tasting notes
With a clear and brilliant colour, this wine presents green and pale gold reflections. Its complex nose reveals finesse and minerality. In the mouth its attack is frank and opens on mineral notes and white fruit. This wine has a good amplitude and a very long persistence.
Food and wine paring
Will be a great companion to langoustines, fish, white meats and French Comté cheese.
Serving suggestions
Open bottles at least one hour before tasting, to develop all the aromas. Serve slightly chilled at 12–14°C (53-57°F).
Ageing potential
5 to 6 years.
Appellation
The Jura wine region is small in size but large in its remarkable diversity. It covers 80 kilometers between Burgundy and Switzerland, in the eastern France.
L’ÉTOILE AOC has been producing exceptional white wines – including “vin jaune” and “vin de paille” – since 1937. The Chardonnay vine variety reigns supreme there, used either alone or in combination with Savagnin.
The name of this AOC is something of a legend. It may refer to the presence of numerous small star-shaped fossils called pentacrines, which are a distinctive feature of its terroir. It may also refer to the star shape formed by the five hills surrounding the village.
Winemaking
Reception of the grapes, vatting by gravity into a thermo-regulated tank for the fermentation. They are pressed, and musts are settling under control temperature. Then the fermentation is engaged and maintained at low temperature (20- 22°C).
Ageing in stainless steel tanks, for 2 -3 months to aid the preservation of the wine's minerality, purity of fruit and crisp acidity.
Vintage : 2022
Having endured the nights at the beginning of April, we were spared from the effects of the frost. A budburst on 13 April and flowering on 23 May promised an early harvest. June saw more than 150 mm of rainfall, allowing the marl soils to build up some healthy reserves to cope with the hot summer weather.
The harvest was running from 16 August to 15 September. The grapes destined for the Crémant du Jura opened the show on 16 August, being the earliest date on record at the estate. This decision paid off as the balance of acidity was in line with what we were looking for. For our other Jura appellations, a generous rainfall on the weekend of 20 August allowed the vines to finish ripening in the best conditions.
The excellent health of the grapes allowed us to prolong the harvest until mid-September, with the opportunity to boost the maturity of the reds to their best polyphenolic potential, particularly for the Pinot Noir grapes, creating powerful, full-bodied wines. The white Chardonnays and Savagnins express floral aromas with a perfectly balanced mineral structure.
