TASTING FLIGHT FEATURING:

DIRECTLY FROM:

Tucked between Burgundy and the Swiss border, this small area in eastern France is the missing piece of the puzzle for many wine lovers.

Care to explore?! Well... you are in luck this week as our $28Tasting Fight will showcase Valentin Morel's wines direct from the town of Poligny in the Côtes du Jura.

We have a four wine line-up that includes all single-vineyard offerings that really highlight this gem of a region that is often overlooked for its not-so-distant hillside cousins of Burgundy.

The whites provide two unique interpretations of Chardonnay thanks to Valentin's pragmatic & visionary method of cultivation. The combination of vine age, terroir, and microclimate all help triangulate the harvest in order to maximize the grape's potential.

As for the back half of the tasting, the two examples of Poulsards are some of the most ethereal reds of Jura. Elegant with red fruit on the nose - fresh & lively on the palate - the perfect red sippers as the temps rise here in Charlotte!

Our $28 Jura Tasting Flight starts today and I hope you are able to visit with us this week.

In the meantime, we just released tickets to our next event on May 9th, a wine showdown between Spain & France! Act quick, as we're now 2/3rds sold-out. Please see below to reserve your seats, and read on about our flight wines - Jura, and Valentin Morel.

Cheers! Enjoy these Jura wines & the Derby this weekend -

Mark

PARK ROAD: 

5:00 - 7:00pm Wednesday

5:00 - 9:00pm Thursday-Friday

1:00 - 9:00pm Saturday

1:00 - 7:00pm Sunday

SOUTH END: 



5:00 - 9:00pm Thursday-Friday

1:00 - 9:00pm Saturday

1:00 - 7:00pm Sunday

Just a few years after earning a Masters degree in international law, Valentin Morel decided he would prefer to make wines inspired by his readings of biodynamic visionary Rudolph Steiner, the radical Japanese farmer Masanobu Fukuoka, and Matthew B. Crawford, the American champion of validated manual labor. Valentin studied winemaking in Alsace, where he was introduced and influenced by natural winemakers like Pierre Frick and Bruno Schueller, and returned to take over the family domaine in 2014. Rather than use his family name, Valentin decided to call his new domaine Les Pieds sur Terre, a double-entendre which means both Feet on the Ground and Vines in the Earth.

Valentin’s grandfather operated a sawmill in Poligny, one of the traditional metiers in this forested region. After retirement in 1978, he planted 10 hectares of vineyards with his son Jean-Luc. From 1978 to 1985, they sold off grapes to the local co-op, and in 1985, they began bottling their own wines. Jean-Luc had long involved with the local Confederation Paysan (farmers' alliance), and in 1999, stopped using herbicide and began plowing all of the vineyards. This literally laid the groundwork for the conversion to biodynamic agriculture when Valentin returned to Poligny.

The entire domaine is certified organic, but farmed "beyond organically," with cover crops and complementary plants like radishes and beans interspersed between rows of vines (which are rolled down rather than plowed each year) to ensure a healthy soil conservation. All the vineyards are hand harvested and vinified with native yeasts, with the absolute minimum addition of SO2 (many cuvées have none at all). Nothing else is used, as Valentin believes wine should be simply fermented grape juice and nothing else, and his wines must be considered as natural wines.

Valentin's philosophical reflections and active work as a militant and engaged paysan are an integral part of his domaine. He is engaged with the conventional farmers and has asked the AOC to be more accepting of natural wines. He works to encourage young organic producers to plant more vines to create more of a community of like-minded producers, and has planted an experimental block of resistant hybrids to be able to produce wines with no treatment whatsoever.

An hour’s drive east of Beaune across the unbroken Bresse plain lie the vineyards of the Jura, which are just under 50 miles long - making it France's smallest wine region.

There are plenty of reasons why the rest of the wine world should get to know this region. For one thing, it’s got a lot in common with Burgundy, which isn’t surprising given that they’re fairly close together. Burgundy’s star grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reside here as well. The Jura also has similar soils and a continental climate similar to Burgundy’s, with dry, hot summer and long cold winters, although it rains a little more here than in Burgundy and the winters are more severe.

ZOOM IN: POLIGNY

Poligny is a commune in the Jura department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France, and the home to Valentin Morel's Les Pieds sur Terre.

The town stands at the foot of the first plateau of the Jura region, with limestone cliffs rising to its east and south, and a steephead valley leading to the village of Vaux-sur-Poligny to the east.

Interesting fact: The town is recognised as the "Capital of Comté", with a third of the region's production of this much-loved cheese being aged in the town's cellars. 

FIVE MAIN VARIETALS

The Jura is home to 40 different grape varieties, but there are five that dominate.

1. Chardonnay accounts for over 40% of the wine production in Jura. Chardonnay originated in Burgundy but has been grown in the Jura since the 10th century. It adapts easily, making it the most widespread grape variety. Found on light, limestone soils, it produces floral white wines fragrant with citrus fruits, peaches, white flowers, but also roasted hazelnuts or almonds when blended with Savagnin.
2. Pinot Noir is often used in blends for its gustatory and ageing properties, Pinot noir can also be enjoyed on its own. Planted in gravelly soils since the 15th century, it is often the first to ripen. It produces bright-red wines with notes of undergrowth, cherry and wild fruit.
3. Savagnin (white) might be considered the star of the region since it’s the key grape in their famous Vin Jaunes. We’ll be getting to know it better in my next post, but it’s an ancient grape and typically has lots of citrus and floral notes. It can also show richer notes of stone fruits and even exotic tropical flavors.
4. Poulsard makes super light red wines thanks to really thin, delicate skins. It can show pretty aromatics and flavors of red cherries, berries, herbs, and white pepper. It’s often blended with the region’s other reds.
5. Trousseau is another ancient grape. This one decided to use its long life to travel a bit though and it picked up various aliases along the way. In particular, you’ll find it in Spain and in Portugal, where it goes by Bastardo. Here it makes spiced, peppery, red-fruited wines.

FIVE KEY WINE STYLES TO KNOW

You will of course find classical still wines in red, white, and rosé. You’ll also find sparkling wines, predominantly crémants, but there are Pét-Nat examples as well.

Beyond the classics, there are three fairly obscure styles. 

1. Vin Jaune, which literally translates to ‘yellow wine,’ might be the style the region is best known for. It’s made using a technique similar to that used for making Fino Sherry, but the wines aren’t fortified and no solera system is employed. Always made from Savagnin, the wines are put in casks with a little room left at the top so that a layer of yeast can form
2. Macvin du Jura is a vin de liqueur made by blending hardly fermented grape juice with marc du Jura, and is usually drunk as an aperitif. Versions have been produced in the region since at least the 14th century, but the modern take is made from late-harvested grapes, then eau-de-vie added to stop the fermentation, and the wine is then aged in oak barrels for 12 months before release.
3. Vin de Paille is a style of sweet wine that was traditionally made from grapes that were been dried out on straw mats (paille is French for 'straw') to concentrate the sugars in their juice. 

LES PIEDS SUR TERRE

'Les Trouillots' Chardonnay 2021

Côtes du Jura, FR

$55 btl/retail

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay from vines over 40 years old, planted on the Trouillots terroir.  This parcel is south-facing, with clay-limestone soil on a limestone subsoil from the early Jurassic era. Aged for two years in barrel.

Tasting Notes: Magnificent Chardonnay! Lots of elegance and character; a beautiful liveliness on this wine from Valentin Morel, superb bitterness on the finish; there is something to enjoy at the table with creamy dishes or cheese.

LES PIEDS SUR TERRE

'Saint Savin' Chardonnay 2020

Côtes du Jura, FR

$64 btl/retail

Varietal: 100% Chardonnay from vines on limestone scree that average over 40 years of age. Cellared for 6 months in 600-liter demi-muids.

Tasting Notes: Beautiful complexity on the palate with fruit and minerality, typical of this terroir. It coats the palate with its roundness and finishes with beautiful tension. We are quickly charmed with notes of white flowers and notes of dried fruits.

LES PIEDS SUR TERRE

'En Bois d'Arnaux' Poulsard 2022

Côtes du Jura, FR

$55 btl/retail

Varietal: 100% Poulsard from 10 year old vines of the youngest parcel, planted in 2014, on the west-facing slope. The soil is of Triassic marl. The red wines are all vinified with natural yeasts and with no added SO2, then aged in stainless steel for 6-8 months and bottled in the spring to preserve their fresh, quaffable character.

Tasting Notes: Poulsard is the lightest and most ethereal red of the Jura, prized for its unique peppery quality found only in this corner of France. This 2022 has a nose with delicious notes of wild raspberries, wild strawberries, grenadine, roses with a hint of sweet spices. The palate is fine and delicate with aromas of red fruits and flowers. The tannins are crisp and fine.

LES PIEDS SUR TERRE

'LesTrouillots' Poulsard 2021

Côtes du Jura, FR

$65 btl/retail

Les Trouillots is the heart of the domaine.

Varietal: The majority is Poulsard from Trouillots vineyard that was planted by Valentin's father in the early 1980s. The terroir is a blend of red and gray marl with limestone bedrock and faces due south with a dominant view over the tiled roofs of Poligny. The red wines are all vinified with natural yeasts and with no added SO2, then aged in stainless steel for 6-8 months and bottled in the spring to preserve their fresh, quaffable character.

Tasting Notes: This Poulsard is the lightest and most ethereal red of the Jura, prized for its unique peppery quality found only in this corner of France. Nose with magnificent notes of wild strawberries, raspberries, small fresh red fruits, red berries with a hint of sweet spices. The palate is crisp and delicate with aromas of red and black fruits. The tannins are light and fine.

We will have your order ready for pick-up at our South End store or

at the Flagship Store at 4001 Park Rd!

 mark@petitphilippe.com | www.petitphilippe.com

Wine Emergency? text us at 415.306.4283

BE WELL + STAY CONNECTED