Domaine Berthet-Bondet, France

With a humble 15 hectares of 30 year old vines, this estate may well be small but it is steeped in history and heritage. Half of Jean's land is in the Château Chalon appellation which is home to the Savagnin grape, renowned for making the revered Vin Jaune. A unique wine that has seen a resurgence of popularity in recent years, but has always been appreciated by the knowledgeable few.

Viticulture

The domain has an area of 15 hectares under organic cultivation, of which 4,5 hectares come under the appellation of Château-Chalon and 10,5 hectares under the appellation of Cotes du Jura. Half of the vines are more than 30 years old, and the other half were planted between 1985 and 1990. These vines often need a lot of care and attention. Mechanisation is difficult and so that means that the majority of the work has to be done by hand, and therefore requires a lot of people.

Winemaking

Exclusive to the Jura, this wine is harvested late and then aged in barrel for over 6 years. In that time a "voile" or layer of yeast forms on top of the wine, which gives the wine its distinctive flavour of walnuts, hazelnuts and green almonds.