Description
Les Matheny, Arbois Chardonnay
This bottle confirms what had already been a buzzing rumor: Les Matheny has arrived and will soon be a permanent addition to the cult Jura scene! Before blazing his own white-hot trail, Emeric Foléat of Les Matheny worked eight years alongside Jacques “Pope of Arbois” Puffeney, a legend who will be forever immortalized in Jura’s Hall of Fame. The immeasurable wisdom Puffeney imparted did not fall on deaf ears: Emeric harnessed the storied terroir and traditional cellar work of Jura and channelled it into his very own micro-batch lineup that has snatched the attention of sommeliers the world over. These wines are explosively aromatic, deeply evocative of Arbois’ special terroir, and uniquely delicious to an overwhelming degree.
In other words, they’re an indelible, hard-to-acquire treasure for sommeliers of any level. Add on their tendency to shatter Burgundy’s price-to-quality scale, plus the fact that there’s never enough to go around, and you’re looking at a hotbed for cult winemaking. All this, of course, further locks the wines into an endless cycle of higher prices and tighter availability. Fortunately, for those of us who don’t have unlimited financial resources and time with which to pursue white whales, Les Matheny is the new name to follow for extraordinary, and affordable, “cult” quality. If we geek out over Burgundian Chardonnay, then today’s perfectly aged and deeply expressive Jura Chardonnay from its rural neighbor should bring rapturous thrills. Very limited quantities available!
There is a shortlist of top producers who seem to have “cracked the code” in Jura by releasing outstanding, world-class wine every vintage: Houillon-Overnoy, Jacques Puffeney (recently retired; vines now leased by Domaine du Pélican), Jean-François Ganevat, Michel Gahier—these are names that sommeliers and collectors fight over every release, and we believe Les Matheny is quickly scaling this fabled ivory tower. Born and raised in Mathenay, Emeric Foléat and his wife, Elise, founded Les Matheny in 2007 after Emeric had completed a lengthy, eight-year tenure with Jura legend Jacques Puffeney. After converting an old farmhouse into a modest cellar absent of technology, Emeric went to work on crafting authentic, small-production wines without an agenda or formula. Today, nothing has changed: Only 3.5 hectares are farmed and the cuveés he produces are raised according to what nature provided him in that respective year, as well as his proclivity for spontaneity.
Commonly misunderstood as a mountainous region, the Jura is actually a narrow valley in the remote hills between Burgundy and Switzerland. Like Burgundy, it used to be a former sea. Walk through the vineyards and you’ll see bone-like chunks of limestone embedded in the soil, each from a different period: Bathonian, Bajocian, lower Jurassic. But unlike Burgundy, the Jura is nestled against the dramatic uplift of a mountain range by the same name. The roots of those mountains form the canyons, steep slopes and valleys that traditionally necessitated a range of grape varieties to suit a range of microclimates and soil types. The Jura’s wines are subsequently shaped by their land, their soil, and the people’s intrinsic sense of regional pride.
Emeric’s 2016 Chardonnay comes entirely from a variety of his sustainably farmed, 45-year-old (average) parcels, all of which are harvested and vinified as separate entities. Only after an extended natural fermentation and additional rest in old 600-liter tonneaux does he taste each barrel and decide which to blend together for this cuvée. In total, the wine ages in these large weathered barrels for nearly three years, with this specific wine being bottled in September of 2019 without fining. During this extended stay in wood, the barrels were occasionally topped up according to Emeric’s tastes. Again, there is no systematic approach here; idiosyncratic, undisturbed, improvisational winemaking reigns supreme.
This 2016 from Les Matheny is pure, classic, highest-quality Jura Chardonnay. It couldn’t be anything else. It pours a deep, deep yellow-gold in the glass with flashes of green and takes its time releasing an intoxicating array of aromas. A skilled touch of (encouraged) oxidation throughout the wines three-year élevage in barrel delivers brooding notes of bruised pear, quince, overripe pineapple, yellow and green apples, marzipan, preserved Meyer lemon, crushed almonds, fino sherry, honeycomb, crushed river stone, exotic baking spice, and damp acacia. On the palate, a textural masterpiece unfolds: This Chardonnay is incredibly broad with an intensely mellow and complex mouthfeel that will have you thinking 15+-year-old, $100+ Puligny/Chassagne at first. But, stay with it long enough and its sheer uniqueness will ultimately pull you further east into Jura. I couldn’t be more impressed with Les Matheny. These Chardonnays are already matching and surpassing the titans of the region, and they’re built to age too. Enjoy now in Burgundy stems after a 15-30-minute decant, hold back in your cellar for up to 10 years, or do both if you secure enough!
