Côtes du Jura Chardonnay Les Chazaux Nicolas Jacob 2020

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Côtes du Jura Chardonnay Les Chazaux Nicolas Jacob 2020

La «cuvée»

At the head of the estate, which bears the same name, Nicolas Jacob began in organic market gardening before breaking into the world of wine and taking his first steps with some of the greatest names in the region, including Domaine Macle and Jean-François Ganevat. He started in 2015 and has since been crafting natural cuvées just like this Côtes du Jura made from Chardonnay grapes. This cuvée is produced from vines planted in the 1980s within the village of Les Chazaux. This typical grape variety is grown according to organic and biodynamic principles on limestone soils and is carefully treated in the cellar. This means that indigenous yeasts trigger fermentation, with long ageing periods (22 months in 600-litre demi-muids and oak barrels) and sulphur limited to homoeopathic doses. We would first recommend leaving this wine to rest for a few years in the cellar and then decanting before serving to appreciate its powerful character. The bottle is balanced by masterful ageing with notes of fresh butter and almonds and has a great minerality.

A native from the Jura, Nicolas Jacob first worked with organic vegetable growers before turning to wine, training in organic viticulture and oenology at Montmorot. He learned his craft under some of the best, starting at Domaine Macle and then with Jean-François Ganevat, where he spent several years. By 2015, he was ready to strike out on his own and bought a single hectare vineyard planted with Chardonnay, Savagnin and Pinot Noir, in the heart of the beautiful L’Étoile appellation. Like his mentor, Jacob has always favoured a natural approach: the vines are certified organic, fermentations are spontaneous, ageing tends to be long, and sulphur is used sparingly, if at all. The winemaker showcases the southern Jura’s diverse terroirs by vinifying plot by plot and crafting an array of micro-cuvées. This is even more true since 2019, when the estate expanded with the purchase of a winery and additional plots, reaching a total of six hectares?–?mostly planted with Chardonnay and Savagnin, alongside classic Jura varieties such as Poulsard and Trousseau complementing the range. A producer to follow closely.