Arbois Vin Jaune Domaine de la Tournelle 2005

Vin Jaune Domaine de la Tournelle 2005 biodynamic, 100% Savagnin, aged 7 years under flor yeast, no added sulphites, rich, elegant, salty, minerally, incredibly complex, a rare wine of outstanding beauty and freshness. When you taste these mythical wines from the Jura, you know instantly you are in the presence of greatness and none more so than the Vin Jaune produced by Pscal and Evelyne at Domaine de La Tournelle. They are truly stunning Exilirs, rich and savoury yet so precise and after nearly 15 years ageing, the 2005 is still a baby. These are wines for the very special occasions. They are not cheap but when you examine the process that goes into making them, you can at least in part understand where that cost comes from. Very low yields from labour intensive vines, rigorous selection at harvest and 7 years of ageing before sale, that is expensive indeed. The wine is stunning, have with Jura cheeses only.

Evelyne and Pascal Clairet own 7 hectares in the region around Arbois, the famous wine growing capital of the Jura. They farm biodynamically and follow Maria Thun's calender in all their operations. They use no sulphur at bottling, but sometimes add 2 or 3 grams per litre earlier in the wine making. Unlike many Jura producers, they are looking to avoid oxygen in most of their wines to keep the freshness of the fruit. Their wines are a combination of golden Chardonnay fruit and Jura minerals. They are linear and precise and have the most incredible texture of any Chardonnay we have tasted. Top Burgundy wines sell for incredible prices but in terms of quality, complexity and sheer pleasure in drinking, I have not come across many Chardonnay that rival the wines of Domaine de la Tournelle. Their Savagnin is also of outstanding quality, and they make some fascinating and unique reds.