Michel Tissot Château-Chalon Vin Jaune 2011
Every now and then a curve-ball gets thrown at Vinomofo, and we’re ready, waiting to catch it. Château-Chalon Vin Jaune AOC - is definitely one to look out for. It starts out in left-field. And stays out there! To begin, it’s made with the savagnin grape in Jura ,which hugs both sides of the French / Swiss border. So a region in two different countries is interesting. But that’s only the start. Once fermentation in barrel is complete, it stays in barrel, untouched, for a minimum of six years and three months. That’s nearly one whole dog year. Over that time, two important things happen. Wine evapourates down to 620ml for every litre made (hence the bottle size) creating concentration of flavour. And secondly, a thin film of yeast develops on top of the wine in barrel (a bit like sherry), imparting nutty, mushroomy nuances. There’s no lees stirring or barrel turning. The wine barrels remain untouched for all of that time.
Profile
The nose is all grilled almonds, cracked walnuts and salty pistachio coming in and out of focus, with underlying mulch and mushroom. Earthy. Intriguing. Beguiling. It’s something that holds your attention as you attempt to unravel its history - and mystery. It’s dry sliding down, with dried fruit / scroggin / trail mix, Christmas honey biscuits and Indian spices. Wow. It’s hard to believe what’s going on here. There really is only one way to get your head around this and that’s to try it yourself.
A bit like an old red, it’s recommended to open this an hour before drinking to let it breathe. And remember it’s remarkably versatile with food. Cheese platters, quiche, seafood, pork, chicken or veal in a cream sauce. Take your pick.
Full price $200.00 from the winery on 12 November 2019.
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It’s cool, we get it, you want to know absolutely everything about this wine. Well here you go, go nuts.
Specs
- Region
- France
- Vintage
- 2011
- Cellaring
- 2031
- Preservatives
- Sulphites
- Alcohol by Vol.
- 13.5%
- Closure
- Cork
- Bottle Vol
- 620mL
- Blend Info
- 100% Savagnan
- Serving Temp.
- 17.0°C
Tasting
From the producer
A subtle wine. Its highly developed, enchanting nose gives off walnut, wild mushroom and spicy aromas. Its complex, elegant structure is very present in the mouth. A remarkable range of aromas then open up on the palate: well-developed walnut, dried fruit, curry, saffron, and roasted hints. The finish is long and very persistent.
Winemaking
Viticulture
The Jura wine region is small in size but large in its remarkable diversity. It covers 80 kilometres between Burgundy and Switzerland, in eastern France. Since 1937, this typical village overlooking the Seille Valley has been producing CHATEAU-CHALON AOC, which is considered to be one of the world's greatest vintages. Its name comes from its intense golden yellow colour. People say that although this wine is first of all a pleasure to look at, its taste is just as spectacular.
Crafting
Vin jaune is undergoes a specific 'film' maturation technique to produce its priceless nectar. Once fermentation is complete, the wine is matured for at least six years and three months in oak barrels, without any intervention from wine-growers. This process respects the wine's natural evaporation and causes a thin film of yeast to develop on the surface. This is what slowly builds up the wine's famous 'yellow flavour': complex walnut, hazelnut, almond, spicy, etc. aromas. After ageing, the resulting nectar is bottled in 62-centilitre (volume of a litre of Savagnin remaining after maturation) 'clavelins' – bottles specially designed for this wine.
Region
France
Looks like this is either a wine sourced from various regions in France or it's from a smaller region that we haven't gotten around to writing about for you yet! If it's the former, well, it's hard to make general comments about a multi-regional French wine. So let's assume it's the latter: we've been lazy. Forgive us, there's only two of us, and we're mere mortals. We'll get round to writing something inspirational about this obscure (hopefully, otherwise we're in trouble) region eventually. Meanwhile, shoot in your suggestions (and your resume?), or just rejoice in the fact that there's something magical about heading off the beaten track and telling your friends all about that amazing grape that grows in the hinterlands of a place that doesn't even make it on the map – or Vinomofo's regional writeup section, at least.
The rules are there ain’t no rules, but here are some foods we think will work pretty well with this wine...
Goes with
Prawn, Mint & Lemon skewers
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 long fresh red chilli, seeded, finely chopped
- 1 tbs chopped fresh mint
- 1 tbs finely grated lemon rind
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 900g large green prawns, peeled leaving tails intact, deveined
- Olive oil spray
- Fresh mint leaves, to serve
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- CAPSICUM MAYONNAISE
- 235g (1 cup) whole-egg mayonnaise (see note)
- 2 tbs Always Fresh Fusions Red Pepper Tapenade
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Directions
- To make the capsicum mayonnaise, process the mayonnaise, tapenade and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth.
- Combine the garlic, chilli, mint, lemon rind, oil and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add the prawns and stir to coat. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to marinate.
- Thread prawns onto skewers. season with salt and pepper. Heat a barbecue grill or chargrill on high. spray the skewers with oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden. Top with mint. Serve with the capsicum mayonnaise and lemon wedges.