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JURA
– STYLES –
grape varieties to new heights. In 1991, he created his
own estate after graduating with an agricultural diploma
in viticulture and oenology and studying for a year in the
heart of Burgundy’s legendary vineyards in Beaune. “My
flair for winegrowing was passed on to me by my parents
who were also co-operative winegrowers and farmers in
Jura”, he recounts. “Over the years, the farm grew and
moved to Mantry, a village in the heart of Revermont”.
Now one of the region’s benchmark growers, he manages
11 hectares of vines spread over the three appellations
Château-Chalon, L’Etoile and Côtes-du-Jura along with
Macvin and Crémant du Jura, with his wife Annie and
son Mathieu. Currently converting over to organic, the
estate boasts 16th-century cellars and successfully blends
tradition and modernity in its 2005-built winery and
since 2013 a storage building. Its mosaic of vineyard
sites with their clay, marl and limestone ridge soils
is farmed with every other row planted to grass to
limit overproduction and avoid compaction. “We make
Crémants, floral or traditional whites, dry reds, ‘vins
jaunes’, ‘vin de paille’ and a mistelle, Macvin”, explains
Mathieu Mouillard. “Consumers can get confused over
the different floral or traditional winemaking methods
used for the whites, which requires a lot of explanation
from the winegrower”. The local grape varieties leave a
lasting impression. The estate has two Savagnin labels,
a Tradition and a ‘ouillé’ (or topped up) style called Le
Curieux, which offers another approach to this celebrated
grape variety. The Trousseau is made in stainless steel
tanks to retain its true authenticity. “We don’t produce
much Poulsard”, explains Jean-Luc Mouillard. “The only
exceptions are the ‘vin de paille’, a blend of Poulsard,
Chardonnay and Savagnin, and the Rubis label, a red
wine blended from 50% Pinot noir, 30% Trousseau
and 20% Poulsard”. These wines show strong character
and can be enjoyed on any occasion, especially with a
good meal. Novel, elegant and tannic, they align with
a consumer trend squarely focusing on discovery and
quality. And export markets, particularly Sweden, Japan
and the United States, are all-set to grow.
Sealing the bottles with wax at Château-Chalon
Jean-Luc Mouillard planting vines
AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 39