I’m officially seriously addicted to Jura wines and more specifically reds from Arbois. The sad part is that many people in Vancouver will have no idea what I’m even talking about. Very few of these wines surface there and anyone who may know of the region, will so, likely because of the famously odd Sherry-like wine called Vin Jaune. I’m 100% committed to changing that as much as I can.

Jura is a region in Eastern France - sandwiched between Burgundy and Switzerland. Because some of the whites are weird and made in an oxidized style (think Sherry) and the red are all very lightly coloured (completely opposite of the new world and modern style trends), they have been ignored and overlooked for decades.

This isolation has allowed them to carry on with traditional wine making methods which includes producing wines from indigenous grape varietals rarely seen outside of Jura. The five star varieties include Poulsard (aka Ploussard), Trousseau, Savagnin, as well Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (which were planted in the Middle Ages - not to follow recent trends). Perhaps formed from these traditions, the Jura has a strong presence of farmers and winemakers using natural techniques. Meaning no synthetic chemicals, no additives, and ferments started by indigenous yeast. Jura is further broken down into the sub-appellation of Arbois, Château-Chalon and L’Étoile.

About a month ago, NY Times wine writer, Eric Asimov published an article (and followed it up with a blog post) illustrating the region, expressing how much he loves Jura wines and commenting on how he’s noticed them creeping onto more and more New York City wine lists. He makes the point that they will never become mainstream because of their relatively short supply and, thanks to their uniqueness, they fall into the encumbering “wine geek” category.

This is Jacques Puffeney. I don’t know this man, but I love him because he made this wine I had the other night: Jacques Puffeney ‘06 “Les Bérangères” Trousseau Arbois. The colour is a very light rosy red and transparent - probably lighter than any Pinot Noir you’ve ever had. The first smell was a strong whiff of  barn-yard/merde (fumo?) which lessened the longer it breathed and evolved into more leather, potpourri and strawberries. The palate was bright with acidity and had intensity like you wouldn’t expect from a wine so light. Chalk and cranberries. The soft texture expands and flows into a lovely lengthily finish. Excellent and beautiful wine. I paid just over $30 for it in San Francisco and would kill to have this available for a similar price back home.

I understand possible agents’ fear that Puffeney’s wine would be stocked by few retailers and restaurants. Surely if a forward-thinking importer (*cough) were to bring a few labels in and present it to some forward-thinking sommeliers, there would be enough interest to support a shipment? Maybe I’m being naive and perhaps the price points would be slightly too high for most by-the-glass lists in the city, but can’t we make it so? I truly think Vancouver is ready and enough people would thank us.

Kitsilano Wine Cellars is the only wine shop that I know of which stocks anything from Jura.

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