Guide To Jura Wine: Grapes, Styles, 10 Best Bottles
Jura is a small wine region in France nestled between the Swiss border and Burgundy. Grapes grow along the Jura mountain range, creating a broad range of distinctive red wine, sparkling wine, white wines, and more.
However, the most famous wine from this region is vin jaune or yellow wine.
Let’s explore Jura wine in detail, including the grape varieties and wine styles, 10 leading Jura wine bottles, the region’s terroir, and more.
Further reading
- Explore more about French Wine Regions, including the best wines from each region.
- Alternatively, learn more about some of Spain's Wines and Their Unique Viticulture.
Grape Varieties and Wine Styles of Jura
Despite only being around 50 miles long, Jura grows a variety of grapes and produces an assortment of wine styles, including:
- Poulsard (or Ploussard as it’s known locally): A red grape making up around one-fifth of the region’s plantings. The Poulsard grape is primarily used to make dry reds but is used in rosés as well.
- Trousseau: Another red wine grape, Trousseau requires lots of direct sunlight to mature properly. As a result, it’s only grown in the hottest five percent of Jura’s vineyards, where it’s made into tiny quantities of varietal wines.
- White Savagnin (locally referred to as Nature): This grape variety grows across the Jura region, making exceptional vins jaunes or yellow wines. These are bone-dry wines aged in a barrel under a layer of yeast known as le voile. Château Chalon is an appellation regarded as the unofficial grand cru for yellow wine.
- Chardonnay:Chardonnay now accounts for almost half of Jura’s total vineyard plantings. The grape is known locally as Melon d’Arbois and Gamay Blanc. It’s primarily used to make fresh, fruity, modern wines.
- Pinot Noir: Although Jura’s neighbor, Burgundy, is the undisputed champion of French reds, Jura often uses this grape variety for red blends and, occasionally, varietal wines. Pinot Noir grown here tends to be pale and earthy.
- Vin de Paille: Vin de Paille or straw wine is a type of sweet wine made from dried grapes. This wine style is made using Jura Chardonnay, Poulsard, and Savagnin, straw wine can be produced under the Arbois, L'Étoile, and Côtes de Jura appellations.
- Cremant du Jura: A sparkling wine made with slightly unripe Chardonnay grapes.
A few other unique wines are produced in this region, including a vin de liqueur called Macvin du Jura.
(Fun fact: Aside from its unusual wines, Jura was also home to one of France’s most distinguished scientists. Louis Pasteur was born and raised in the Jura region and even owned a vineyard near Arbois. Louis Pasteur is credited with inventing the technique of treating milk and wine to prevent bacterial contamination, now known as pasteurization.)
10 of the Best Jura Wine Bottles to Try in 2023
Below, we take a look at 10 Jura wines worth adding to your cellar in 2023.
- 1999 Maison Pierre Overnoy Arbois Pupillin Vin Jaune
- 2005 Jean-Francois Ganevat Côtes du Jura Les Vignes de Mon Père
- 2002 Jacques Puffeney Arbois Vin Jaune
- 2012 Jacques Puffeney Arbois Savagnin
- 2016 Benedicte & Stephane Tissot Arbois Savagnin Amphore
- 2007 Evelyne & Pascal Clairet Domaine de la Tournelle Arbois Fleur de Savagnin
- 2009 Michel Gahier Arbois Vin Jaune
- 2006 Caves Jean Bourdy Chateau Chalon
- 2011 Benedicte & Stephane Tissot Chateau Chalon
- 2011 Domaine Jean Macle Côtes du Jura Blanc
1. 1999 Maison Pierre Overnoy Arbois Pupillin Vin Jaune ($2,750)
On opening, a beautiful bouquet of curry spices, saffron, and walnuts is immediately apparent. The mouth has a rich texture with deep complexity and detail, offering fresh acidity with a hint of spice.
2. 2005 Jean-Francois Ganevat Côtes du Jura Les Vignes de Mon Père ($1,000)
A remarkably fresh nose with vibrant citrus, white pear, and candied pineapple notes. A creamy texture with bold notes of pineapple, lime, and minerals.
3. 2002 Jacques Puffeney Arbois Vin Jaune ($300)
An initial sherry nose gives way to luscious aromas of caramel, almond butter, comté cheese, and citrus. Wine lovers might notice nuts, maple syrup, and dried apple flavors.
4. 2012 Jacques Puffeney Arbois Savagnin ($156)
This wine delivers a delicious nose of salted caramel, curry spice, and almonds on opening. It’s full-bodied with flavors of yeast, grapefruit, and apples.
5. 2016 Benedicte & Stephane Tissot Arbois Savagnin Amphore ($65)
This wine perfectly captures the natural Savagnin grape flavors. A yeasty, fermented nose with subtle floral and pith notes. A soft palate with layers of white fruit and lemon rind.
6. 2007 Evelyne & Pascal Clairet Domaine de la Tournelle Arbois Fleur de Savagnin ($154)
A dry, complex, medium to full-bodied wine with an aroma of oak barrel, yeast, and cheese. Nutty notes with some citrus and coconut elements on the palate lead to a mineral finish.
7. 2009 Michel Gahier Arbois Vin Jaune ($81)
A nose of almond butter, dried apricot, peach with subtle nutty notes. Rich flavors of apples, curry leaf with a mouthwatering saline finish.
8. 2006 Caves Jean Bourdy Chateau-Chalon ($142)
An intense saline nose accompanies generous pineapple, honey, and apple notes. Wine lovers who enjoy light, fresh, and bone-dry wine should try this. It has a palate of almonds, honey, and toasted spices.
9. 2011 Benedicte & Stephane Tissot Chateau-Chalon ($126)
A clear pale lemon color, this wine offers a beautiful nose of bruised apples, vanilla, almonds, and cognac. A full-bodied mouthfeel with medium acidity ends with a long finish of spice and yeast.
10. 2011 Domaine Jean Macle Cotes du Jura Blanc ($37)
This wine offers a lovely sherry nose. The lean palate is characterized by nuts and citrus with clean and fresh acidity.
Should You Invest in Jura Wine?
Savagnin, the grape used to make Jura’s enigmatic yellow wine, is famed for its ability to age. Vin jaune is capable of aging for well over a century in your cellar.
Additionally, Jura is an extremely small region, making up 2,100 hectares and accounts for just 0.2% of total French wine production. Further, only 13% of Jura wine production is exported globally.
Aside from the exclusivity, these wines have seen their value grow partly thanks to a generation of new producers moving into the region. These producers are creating wines equal to (or even exceeding) some of Burgundy’s most prestigious appellations.
This lack of availability and exceptional quality has led to Jura wines fetching impressive prices at auction.
- A bottle of 2000 Vin Jaune from Domaine Overnoy sold for $1,170 in 2016.
- At the same auction, a bottle of 1978 Vigne aux Dames Château-Chalon from Domaine Perron sold for the equivalent of $600 a bottle - more than double its starting price.
Wondering how to take advantage of this investment opportunity?
The team at Vinovest is ready to help you pick out your next favorite investment.
Next, let’s explore the unique terroir of the Jura region.
Terroir of Jura
Jura is a tiny, secluded region at the far eastern edge of France.
Jura’s colder winters mean winemakers leave harvesting until late October, with most of the region’s vineyards being at an elevation of between 820 and 1,310 feet. These vineyards run between the plains of the Bresse region and the Jura Mountains, stretching towards the French Alps.
Vineyard soils mainly comprise clay in the region’s lower areas, with limestone-based soils serving as the predominant soil at higher elevations.
Jura is also famous for its cheeses, with comté cheese having originated in Jura.
Jura Wine Regions
These are the main appellations of the Jura wine region:
- Arbois: The first controlled appellation in France, this region produces reds and roses from Poulsard, Trousseau, and Pinot Noir. White wine is made using Chardonnay and Savagnin.
- Château-Chalon AOC: Only white wines from the Savagnin grape made in the vin jaune style can be produced using this appellation. The wine is known to age for several decades. Vin jaune ferments in oak barrel for at least six years before getting that golden yellow color.
- Crémant du Jura: This is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for sparkling wine. Here, Jura wine production must use Poulsard, Trousseau, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Savagnin. The AOC standards require the grapes be hand-picked from the Jura vineyard, transported in crates with holes to let the grapes oxidize, and pressed as whole grape clusters.
- Côte du Jura: This region produces red and white wine from Poulsard, Trousseau, and Pinot Noir, while whites are made using Chardonnay and Savagnin.
- L'Étoile: Meaning “The Star” in English, this AOC produces wines using Chardonnay, Savagnin, and Poulsard.
- Macvin du Jura: This is the appellation responsible for producing late harvest vin de Jura. Macvin wine has been produced here since the fourteenth century using only five permitted grape varieties. While the grape juice is fermenting, vintners add a pomace-based eau-de-vie to halt the fermentation, leaving behind residual sugar.
Jura Wine: Delicious and Investment-Worthy
The Jura region is known for its peculiar and versatile wines, the most famous being yellow wine.
Jura wines offer a range of flavors from a diverse terroir. However, some of these wines can be stored for decades, making them a potential long-term investment.
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