georg lauer
georg lauer
A short two day trip to the Jura.
We were incredibly lucky, weather was perfect and spring was at a wonderful moment, lots of lush greens and blossoming trees and bushes everywhere. Will try to add some photos later.
We stayed in Arbois, at Closerie Les Capucines, a very nice place that came to my attention through Lars Makie. It is a part of an old monastery in the centre of Arbois, very impressively renovated and very comfortable, with only 5 rooms. Beautiful garden in the back of the house. Surprisingly reasonably priced.
I had not made any appointments at wineries, but we were pretty lucky to find many interesting places open.
First was Chateau d'Arlay. Very impressive (almost intimidating), and Madame first tried to chase us off the property with characteristic french charm. However, in contrast to the castle and gardens, the winery was open and she gave us a nice tasting. After my recent trips to California I had to get used again to the different concepts of winery visits in Europe.... At every place we could taste anything they currently sold, the tasting was usually run by a family member and it was always free. I found their Corail interesting, a blend of the 5 major grapes of the Jura, red and white mixed. Available vintages reach back to the late 90s. I also liked their regular whites and the Vin Jaune was a good start to that genre. Unfortunately no vintages before 2000 available. I regret not having tasted their Vine de Paille, a mistake I somehow repeated throughout the trip. Now I dream about how they might taste...
We also tried to visit the Bindernagel winery in the same village, a newcomer owned by a Swiss architect. Supposedly de rigeur right now, but nobody was home.
Domaine Montbourgeau was very much to my liking. An old farm out of a picture book. Super nice owner. She just sat down with us at the big table and poured lots of everything. Their reserve speciale was as fun as I remembered, and the Vine Jaune promising. Also very fresh Cremant, a steal for 6 Euro.
Later in the day we passed through Chateau Chalon which is one of the most beautiful villages in France, spectacularly set on the top of the steep hill over the vineyards. Mme Macle is a quite elegant lady, and this was mirrored in the wines. Quite reserved and very delicate, a finish lasting forever. This was a bit more refined then what we had before.
Obviously I also wanted to check out Berthet-Bondet, esp for older vintages of Vin Jaune. But my not so disorderly friend protested as he could not see the appeal of dark cellars on a sunny spring day.
Thus I used an opportunity later that afternoon to sneak out and quickly drive to Pupillin. Luck was on my side since after asking around a bit somebody found Aurelien Houillon for me, who opened the big dining/tasting room. Full of enthusiasm he talked to me for a good hour, I hope that my rudimentary french allowed e to roughly grasp what he wanted to say. What definitely transpired was his passion for making wine the way they want to make it, and being happy as long as they can stay true to themselves (and it pays the bills, food and wine..."that's all we need"). This clearly seems to work well for them. Unfortunately only one wine was on the list, the 2007 white Pupillin. Poulsard will only be available again in November. But the white was already great, despite being rather young. I found it quite delicate, with a great balance between significant acidity and the distinct Jura notes of minerality (and some oxidation?). While Jura whites can be sometimes a bit challenging or tiring in a sense that a glass or two seems enough, this one was just flowing easily, without being easy. I am looking forward to following this over the next years.
Aurelien then somehow decided that we should also try the 1999 Vin Jaune, that usually is not opened because it is so scarce. He said he had not had it himself for a very long time and he was clearly excited to try himself. The first smell was scary, but the first taste was amazing. Incredibly long with a very prominent middle that reminded me of another taste that is burned in my memory: The complex flavor of a very good terrine de foie gras. Cant describe it, but I know it when I taste it. The smell changed constantly and also the taste, it seemed to get fresher and even livelier, especially developing a very clean and minutes long aftertaste of walnuts. The wines plus my host were definitely the highlight of my trip. I hope to be back, and I cannot wait to drink them home.
Next morning I realized that I had not bought any red wines. We raced over to Montigny les Asures to visit Jacques Puffeney, but no luck. Nobody in sight and everything locked up. We could have done Tissot, but my friend got restless, and these wines have reasonably availability in the US, so we started our drive back home, with a car full of Vine Jaune and other Jura whites. Unfortunately no reds, cremant and vins paille this time, so plenty reasons to come back soon. We also bought great chocolates and pastries at Hirsinger in Arbois. In terms of Restaurants, Le Grapiot in Pupillin was the clear winner. A stylish new building pretty much across from Overnoy/Houillon. Smart modernized regional cuisine, lots of interesting open wines and everything at extremely reasonable prices.
Jean-Paul Genet was also good, but not fully up to its ** Michelin rating. The modern touches were not that convincing and I would have expected more bold and exciting flavors with the classics. Wine list is amazing, though not exactly cheap. Still a very nice place, but considering the expense I would rather go all out at Le Grapiot twice (or even three times...).
On the way back to my family in Germany we had one more amazing experience. In the Sundgau (that is the very south end of Alsace, between Mulhouse and Basel), we stopped chez Maitre Antony, by many considered the finest affineur (or as he says "eleveur") des fromages. He is the man delivering the 4 year old Comte to l'Arpege etc. For anybody who loves cheese this is a must detour. It is hard to belive, but pretty much any of the cheeses we bought (and we bought a lot) set a new standard and seemed something completely different from what I had tasted before. Reblochon, Brie, Saint Marcellin.....as if tasted for the very first time. When Antony jr cut a super ripe Reblochon in half and the cheese almost explosively oozed out everybody in the shop let out a big moan....quite hilarious. I am very grateful that we have The Formaggio Kitchen in Boston/Cambridge, but Antony is on its own planet. If/when I am sick of my job I will apply as eleve....
These were two great days, I hope to be back soon. The Jura has conserved a lot of the old France I remember from my youth. What I was missing in Provence last fall, here it was.
We were incredibly lucky, weather was perfect and spring was at a wonderful moment, lots of lush greens and blossoming trees and bushes everywhere. Will try to add some photos later.
We stayed in Arbois, at Closerie Les Capucines, a very nice place that came to my attention through Lars Makie. It is a part of an old monastery in the centre of Arbois, very impressively renovated and very comfortable, with only 5 rooms. Beautiful garden in the back of the house. Surprisingly reasonably priced.
I had not made any appointments at wineries, but we were pretty lucky to find many interesting places open.
First was Chateau d'Arlay. Very impressive (almost intimidating), and Madame first tried to chase us off the property with characteristic french charm. However, in contrast to the castle and gardens, the winery was open and she gave us a nice tasting. After my recent trips to California I had to get used again to the different concepts of winery visits in Europe.... At every place we could taste anything they currently sold, the tasting was usually run by a family member and it was always free. I found their Corail interesting, a blend of the 5 major grapes of the Jura, red and white mixed. Available vintages reach back to the late 90s. I also liked their regular whites and the Vin Jaune was a good start to that genre. Unfortunately no vintages before 2000 available. I regret not having tasted their Vine de Paille, a mistake I somehow repeated throughout the trip. Now I dream about how they might taste...
We also tried to visit the Bindernagel winery in the same village, a newcomer owned by a Swiss architect. Supposedly de rigeur right now, but nobody was home.
Domaine Montbourgeau was very much to my liking. An old farm out of a picture book. Super nice owner. She just sat down with us at the big table and poured lots of everything. Their reserve speciale was as fun as I remembered, and the Vine Jaune promising. Also very fresh Cremant, a steal for 6 Euro.
Later in the day we passed through Chateau Chalon which is one of the most beautiful villages in France, spectacularly set on the top of the steep hill over the vineyards. Mme Macle is a quite elegant lady, and this was mirrored in the wines. Quite reserved and very delicate, a finish lasting forever. This was a bit more refined then what we had before.
Obviously I also wanted to check out Berthet-Bondet, esp for older vintages of Vin Jaune. But my not so disorderly friend protested as he could not see the appeal of dark cellars on a sunny spring day.
Thus I used an opportunity later that afternoon to sneak out and quickly drive to Pupillin. Luck was on my side since after asking around a bit somebody found Aurelien Houillon for me, who opened the big dining/tasting room. Full of enthusiasm he talked to me for a good hour, I hope that my rudimentary french allowed e to roughly grasp what he wanted to say. What definitely transpired was his passion for making wine the way they want to make it, and being happy as long as they can stay true to themselves (and it pays the bills, food and wine..."that's all we need"). This clearly seems to work well for them. Unfortunately only one wine was on the list, the 2007 white Pupillin. Poulsard will only be available again in November. But the white was already great, despite being rather young. I found it quite delicate, with a great balance between significant acidity and the distinct Jura notes of minerality (and some oxidation?). While Jura whites can be sometimes a bit challenging or tiring in a sense that a glass or two seems enough, this one was just flowing easily, without being easy. I am looking forward to following this over the next years.
Aurelien then somehow decided that we should also try the 1999 Vin Jaune, that usually is not opened because it is so scarce. He said he had not had it himself for a very long time and he was clearly excited to try himself. The first smell was scary, but the first taste was amazing. Incredibly long with a very prominent middle that reminded me of another taste that is burned in my memory: The complex flavor of a very good terrine de foie gras. Cant describe it, but I know it when I taste it. The smell changed constantly and also the taste, it seemed to get fresher and even livelier, especially developing a very clean and minutes long aftertaste of walnuts. The wines plus my host were definitely the highlight of my trip. I hope to be back, and I cannot wait to drink them home.
Next morning I realized that I had not bought any red wines. We raced over to Montigny les Asures to visit Jacques Puffeney, but no luck. Nobody in sight and everything locked up. We could have done Tissot, but my friend got restless, and these wines have reasonably availability in the US, so we started our drive back home, with a car full of Vine Jaune and other Jura whites. Unfortunately no reds, cremant and vins paille this time, so plenty reasons to come back soon. We also bought great chocolates and pastries at Hirsinger in Arbois. In terms of Restaurants, Le Grapiot in Pupillin was the clear winner. A stylish new building pretty much across from Overnoy/Houillon. Smart modernized regional cuisine, lots of interesting open wines and everything at extremely reasonable prices.
Jean-Paul Genet was also good, but not fully up to its ** Michelin rating. The modern touches were not that convincing and I would have expected more bold and exciting flavors with the classics. Wine list is amazing, though not exactly cheap. Still a very nice place, but considering the expense I would rather go all out at Le Grapiot twice (or even three times...).
On the way back to my family in Germany we had one more amazing experience. In the Sundgau (that is the very south end of Alsace, between Mulhouse and Basel), we stopped chez Maitre Antony, by many considered the finest affineur (or as he says "eleveur") des fromages. He is the man delivering the 4 year old Comte to l'Arpege etc. For anybody who loves cheese this is a must detour. It is hard to belive, but pretty much any of the cheeses we bought (and we bought a lot) set a new standard and seemed something completely different from what I had tasted before. Reblochon, Brie, Saint Marcellin.....as if tasted for the very first time. When Antony jr cut a super ripe Reblochon in half and the cheese almost explosively oozed out everybody in the shop let out a big moan....quite hilarious. I am very grateful that we have The Formaggio Kitchen in Boston/Cambridge, but Antony is on its own planet. If/when I am sick of my job I will apply as eleve....
These were two great days, I hope to be back soon. The Jura has conserved a lot of the old France I remember from my youth. What I was missing in Provence last fall, here it was.
