Wines

Nicole Deriaux’s gold-standard Crémant du Jura is always from a single vintage (though it is labeled non-vintage), produced from Chardonnay from her younger vines. The fermentation occurs in stainless steel but after malolactic, the wine is racked into small barrel and demi-muids for two years. At that point, the entire production is assembled and left for several months in cuve before being bottled. This is a true “brut zero” and never receives a dosage, resulting in a linear, racy sparkler of mouthwatering minerality and sizzling drive.

Info coming soon.

This cuvée is the classic white wine of Montbourgeau. It is usually bottled after 24 to 30 months of élevage in barrel. Chardonnay is the dominant grape but an occasional Savagnin vine is found within the Chardonnay plantings, an addition which adds a touch of complexity to the ultimate blend. The fermentation occurs in stainless steel but, after malolactic, the wine is racked into small barrel and demi-muids for two years. At that point, the entire production is assembled and left for several months in cuve before being bottled.

This parcel, which faces east and receives less sun than some of the domaine's other slopes, was planted in 1956 to celebrate the marriage of Nicole's parents. This wine's saline, highly poised palate prompts immediate salivation, and one feels a certain lift here which deftly balances its characteristic Jura brassy twang.

The domaine's most ancient plot of Chardonnay, planted in 1920, produces a wine thick with old-vines intensity yet sizzling with the characteristic acidity of the appellation. This pulls off a sense of serene balance despite the tug-of-war between limestone cling and ringing yellow fruits that is waged on the palate.

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The finesse of the regular cuvée of L’Etoile plays counterpoint to this cuvée, “En Banode” which is a field blend of Chardonnay and Savagnin from a single vineyard source. Not produced every vintage, the “En Banode” is more full-bodied and rustic than the regular L’Etoile bottling and it reflects the special soil characteristics (the grey and blue marne) that are best for planting the finicky Savagnin grape. The “En Banode” bottling occurs after 30 to 36 months of élevage.

Info coming soon.

This elite cuvée of Chardonnay is Madame Deriaux’s special selection from her best Chardonnay plantings. Like the pure Savagnin cuvée, it is left to age for many months (in this instance usually 48 to 60 months) in barrel without racking and without topping off. It is a wine for the ages with a vibrant acidity underlying a dense and concentrated body with notes of beeswax and honey and resin and minerals.

From a 1970 planting in grey marl at the upper part of a southwest-facing slope in L'Etoile, “Les Budes” ferments spontaneously and spends 18 months in used 500-liter barrels before being bottled without fining or sterile filtration. Topped up during its elevage, it trades the oxidative breadth of the estate’s traditional Savagnin for a luscious, kinetic interplay of fruit, salt, and ripping acid, and a note of briny umami builds on the wine’s ultra-long finish.

Montbourgeau produces a small amount of pure Savagnin. The grapes are sourced from several sites all underlain by marne (grey/blue). After fermentation, the Savagnin is racked into a mix of different-sized barrels where it rests for four years or so without further racking and without being topped off.

Montbourgeau produces a limited amount of red wine from the Poulsard grape. It is a bright, airy wine with a hint of tannin to the finish. This red from L’Etoile is classified as a “Côtes du Jura” since the L’Etoile appellation is strictly reserved for the white wines produced there.

Produced in microscopic quantities, Montbourgeau’s refined, balanced Trousseau comes from southeast-exposed vines planted in soils of grey marl. César employs 50% whole clusters in its vinification, using mainly pump-overs with very few punch-downs during a seven-day maceration; aging takes place half in stainless steel and half in used 228-liter barrels for just under one year. Bursting with juicy cherries and soil-kissed strawberries, this offers a bit more depth and concentration than some version of the variety, winking subtly at Burgundy without at all sacrificing its essential Jura spirit.

Made exclusively from the Savagnin grape, the Vin Jaune of Montbourgeau is always produced from a late harvest. After fermentation the wine is racked into foudres (30 hectoliter size) and then, after six months, racked again into smaller barrels. It is never topped off, the “voile” appears and the wine is left for at least seven years to age in barrel before being declared “Vin Jaune” and being bottled. The “Jaune” of Montbourgeau is more high-toned than the Jaunes of Puffeney and Gahier, less broad perhaps but more fine, a clear reflection of the appellation of L’Etoile.

Montbourgeau produces a tiny amount of a vin de paille. This “paille” is composed of 60% Chardonnay, 20% Savagnin and 20% Poulsard. The grapes are left to raisin in the open air until the January following harvest, effectuating a high degree of concentration. In effect, it takes 100 kilograms of grapes to produce a mere 10 liters of Vin de Paille at Montbourgeau. A total of five hectoliters are produced in the years that Monbourgeau makes a Vin de Paille … obviously very limited availability and bottled exclusively in 375ml size.

The Macvin is a blend of Chardonnay and Poulsard. The fermentation is stopped by the addition of marc. The blend is two-thirds grape must and one-third marc. The Macvin spends three years in barrel before it is bottled and it carries 18% alcohol. Used as a delightful aperitif or as a “vin de meditation”.