Description
Domaine Courbet, Côtes du Jura “Les Rondos” Chardonnay
The Courbet family’s home village is Nevy-sur-Seille, right beneath the famed hill of Château-Chalon in the center of the Jura. Founded in 1869, Domaine Courbet is now run by the father and son team of Jean-Marie and Damien Courbet, with Damien taking control in 2011. A long résumé belies his youthful exuberance—stints at California’s Au Bon Climat, Alsace’s Zind-Humbrecht, and Nicolas Potel’s projects in both Burgundy and South Africa are among the highlights. Having such wide-ranging international experience must only have deepened his appreciation for his home region, which is underpinned by a vein of Jurassic limestone as profound as anything found in Burgundy.
Located in a section of the Jura known as the upper Seille, the domaine’s holdings span a mere 7.5 hectares on the lower and mid-slopes of the Jura mountains. Farming has been organic and biodynamic since 2005 and everything is harvested manually. “Les Rondos” comes from a 0.7-hectare vineyard planted in the 1980s. As has become increasingly popular in the region, this Chardonnay undergoes a fully “Burgundian” élevage (aging) in French oak barrels for about 10 months, during which time the barrels are continuously topped up to maintain freshness. This is then followed by another five months or so in tank before bottling.
Aside from a hint of creaminess and a touch of spice from the oak, this wine is all about fresh, layered fruit and deep limestone minerality. It is generously textured and deeply satisfying, shot through with a jangling chord of freshness and hints of bruised, waxy fruits. In the glass, it’s a shimmering yellow-gold with flecks of green at the rim, with aromas of bruised yellow apple, Anjou pear, and salted lemon complemented by notes of chopped hazelnut, drawn butter, wildflower honey, crushed oyster shells, and wet stones. It drinks beautifully now after a 30-minute decant, so be sure to pull some corks soon and serve in all-purpose white wine stems at 50 degrees.
