| Chateau Chalon & Vin Jaune The ancient "Yellow Wine" of the Jura |
| Château Chalon is the oldest and most famous of the 6 Jura AOCs. This single hilltop of just 50 hectares is home to the extraordinary Vin Jaune ("Yellow wine"), made from the Savagnin varietal. The grapes are harvested late and then aged in small oak barrels for a minimum of 6 years and 3 months (although some producers age their Vin Jaune for up to 10 years in barrel). The slightly porous oak barrels are, by design, not completely airtight, and a considerable portion - nearly 40% - of the wine therefore evaporates over the years (the so-called "angels share). No topping up is done. A thick layer of flor yeast, looking like a white foam, develops on the surface of the wine and helps prevent excessive oxidation. This aging method, similar to that used for fino sherry in Spain, but in France specific to the Jura, allows the wine to acquire its distinct flavours, characteristic of walnut, almond, spice and apple, before release. This remarkable dry wine, at its best immensely complex and very aromatic, is best appreciated after at least 10-15 years in bottle and has the ability, in good vintages, to age for a century or more. This unique wine is bottled in a unique bottle, squat with a deep punt, called a "clavelin". Each clavelin has a capacity of 62cl (0.62 litres) - based on the fact that for every litre of newly made wine put into barrel, just 62 centilitres is left after nearly six and a half years of ageing. Vin Jaune is the only wine allowed to be sold in France in a bottle of this capacity. The wines of Château Chalon are distinguished by an additional escutcheon at the base of the neck. Only Vin Jaunes are entitled to the appelation Château Chalon (ie all Château Chalons are Vin Jaunes), but Vin Jaunes are also made in all three of the other Jura AOCs, Arbois, Côtes du Jura and l'Etoile. |
| Chateau Chalon vintages 1895 - 1959 1895: Hot, dry year. Grapes harvested from October 14. Small harvest, the last before phylloxera. Exceptional year. 1915: Storms and hail. Low yields (15h1/ha). Great year. 1921: Dry and beautiful spring. Very healthy vines. Very hot summer. Low yield (20 hl/ha). Exceptional year 1926: Rather hot and dry. Great year. 1929: Very cold winter. Beautiful spring. Beautiful summer. High yields. Very great year. 1934: Mild climate generally, but hail on June 3. Good yield. Exceptional year 1935: Some hail, but good yields. Otherwise good weather. Exceptional year 1937: Rainy winter and spring. But dry summer. Many diseases on the vine. Low yields. Very great year. 1938: Very severe frost in April. Mildew. Low yields. Average year. 1942: Much snow in spring. Severe frosts in May. Then very dry and hot. Average yields. Very great year. 1943: Beautiful spring. Very dry and hot thereafter. Good yields. Great year 1945: Superb and dry spring. Very dry in summer. Very early grape harvest. Good yields. Very great year. 1946: Very dry spring. Then cold and rain, especially in August. Good yields. Great year. 1947: Very cold and dry in spring. Then hot with very little rain. Early grape harvest. Good yields. Exceptional year. 1948: Much rain. But hot in Autumn. Good year. 1949: Cold spring. Then largely dry. Average yields. Very great year . 1950: Very uneven weather, first very dry, then excessive rain. Very large yields, many vine growers do not manage to harvest everything successfully. Good year. 1951: Unhappy year. Hard frost on April 30. Mildew. Poor year, except in Château-Chalon. 1952: Early harvest. Very hot in summer. Rainy autumn. Low yields. Good year, very good in Château-Chalon. 1953: Very severe frost on May 11. Then good weather. Low yields. Very great year. 1954: Cold spring until the end of May. Rainy and cold September. Low yields, high acidity in the grapes. Average year. 1955: Rain in winter, dry spring. Normal summer. High yields. Very great year. 1956: Winter and spring both very cold . Rain in summer and autumn. Small outputs. Average year. No AOC Château-Chalon. 1957: Early spring. But freezing on May 5 and cold thereafter. Very wet summer, then dry. Low yields. Great year. 1958: Cold and snow until April, then very hot. Terrible hail mid-May. Hot summer. Hail mid-August. Low yields. Good year. 1959: Mild spring. Then dry from May to September. Large harvest. Very great year. |
Château Chalon Caves Bourdy 1865
One of the greatest 19th century vintages.
SOLD.
Please email us if you're interested in old vintages of Château Chalon.
One of the greatest 19th century vintages.
SOLD.
Please email us if you're interested in old vintages of Château Chalon.
Château Chalon Caves Bourdy 1895
The last vintage before phylloxera (which
arrived later in the Jura than elsewhere in
France).
SOLD.
The last vintage before phylloxera (which
arrived later in the Jura than elsewhere in
France).
SOLD.
Blanc d'Arlay (Cotes du Jura) Caves Bourdy
1911
Produced from chardonnay, not savagnin.
SOLD.
1911
Produced from chardonnay, not savagnin.
SOLD.
The marcs made from the grapes of Chateau Chalon have been famous for centuries, Marc
du Jura is usually spoken off as one of the three greatest eaux de vies made in France,
alongside Cognac and Armagnac. Because of the tremendous acidity of the grapes, they
have, in the same way as do the wines of Chateau Chalon, an incredible lifespan, with the
ability to age almost indefinitely. The brandy is crisper and spicier than Cognac or Armagnac,
quite unique in taste, with tremendous focus and finesse. If you research Marc du Jura in the
literature or on the net, you will find lots of references to its superb quality, and also lots of
references to the fact that this brandy needs to age for 40 or 50 years to mature properly. But
what you will not find anywhere, is any actual examples of old Marc du Jura for sale, not even
bottles 10 or 15 years old. The reasons for this are twofold - these brandies are made in tiny
quantities, and mostly drunk in the region, and secondly, the peculiar excise duty in the
region makes it generally uneconomical to offer very old examples for sale.
We are very pleased therefor to be able to offer with the agreement of Jean-Francois Bourdy
a very limited number of superb old marcs from his private family reserve. This is a cache of
arguably the rarest great brandies in existence (total number of bottles originally available
shown in brackets):
Marc 1868 : 6800 euros (3 bottles)
Marc 1898 : 3400 euros (1 bottle) SOLD OUT.
Fine 1921 : 1700 euros (1 bottle) SOLD OUT.
Marc 1934 : 1100 euros (3 bottles) SOLD OUT.
Marc 1938 : 980 euros (12 bottles)
Marc 1945 : 870 euros (3 bottles)
Marc 1947 : 910 euros (3 bottles)
Marc 1948 : 790 euros (2 bottles)
Marc 1949 : 790 euros (2 bottles)
Marc 1951 : 760 euros (3 bottles)
Marc 1952 : 745 euros (2 bottles)
Marc 1953 : 740 euros (2 bottles) SOLD OUT.
Marc 1957 : 685 euros (2 bottles)
Marc 1959 : 660 euros (2 bottles) SOLD OUT.
These are in some cases literally unique bottles, not available anywhere else, each one a
major rarity. As far as we have been able to discover not one bottle of marc du Jura from the
1950's or earlier has appeared on the international auction market for at least the last 30
years.
Please email us for pricing and ordering information on these extraordinary brandies.
du Jura is usually spoken off as one of the three greatest eaux de vies made in France,
alongside Cognac and Armagnac. Because of the tremendous acidity of the grapes, they
have, in the same way as do the wines of Chateau Chalon, an incredible lifespan, with the
ability to age almost indefinitely. The brandy is crisper and spicier than Cognac or Armagnac,
quite unique in taste, with tremendous focus and finesse. If you research Marc du Jura in the
literature or on the net, you will find lots of references to its superb quality, and also lots of
references to the fact that this brandy needs to age for 40 or 50 years to mature properly. But
what you will not find anywhere, is any actual examples of old Marc du Jura for sale, not even
bottles 10 or 15 years old. The reasons for this are twofold - these brandies are made in tiny
quantities, and mostly drunk in the region, and secondly, the peculiar excise duty in the
region makes it generally uneconomical to offer very old examples for sale.
We are very pleased therefor to be able to offer with the agreement of Jean-Francois Bourdy
a very limited number of superb old marcs from his private family reserve. This is a cache of
arguably the rarest great brandies in existence (total number of bottles originally available
shown in brackets):
Marc 1868 : 6800 euros (3 bottles)
Marc 1898 : 3400 euros (1 bottle) SOLD OUT.
Fine 1921 : 1700 euros (1 bottle) SOLD OUT.
Marc 1934 : 1100 euros (3 bottles) SOLD OUT.
Marc 1938 : 980 euros (12 bottles)
Marc 1945 : 870 euros (3 bottles)
Marc 1947 : 910 euros (3 bottles)
Marc 1948 : 790 euros (2 bottles)
Marc 1949 : 790 euros (2 bottles)
Marc 1951 : 760 euros (3 bottles)
Marc 1952 : 745 euros (2 bottles)
Marc 1953 : 740 euros (2 bottles) SOLD OUT.
Marc 1957 : 685 euros (2 bottles)
Marc 1959 : 660 euros (2 bottles) SOLD OUT.
These are in some cases literally unique bottles, not available anywhere else, each one a
major rarity. As far as we have been able to discover not one bottle of marc du Jura from the
1950's or earlier has appeared on the international auction market for at least the last 30
years.
Please email us for pricing and ordering information on these extraordinary brandies.
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| Marc du Jura The third great eau-de-vie of France |
Chateau d'Arlay Vin Jaune du Garde 1929
A very rare bottle from this great estate.
1929 was one of the three or four greatest vintages of the
20th century in the Jura.
SOLD.
A very rare bottle from this great estate.
1929 was one of the three or four greatest vintages of the
20th century in the Jura.
SOLD.
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Caves Bourdy are the oldest producer in the region, with a direct
family line going back to the 16th century. Their cellars contain
the oldest collection of vintage Château Chalon and Cotes du
Jura in existence, with some wines going back to the 19th and
even 18th century.
We work exclusively with Jean-Francois Bourdy to
occasionally make limited numbers of these irreplaceable old
vintages available to discerning collectors.
Please email us if you're interested in old vintages of Château
Chalon.
family line going back to the 16th century. Their cellars contain
the oldest collection of vintage Château Chalon and Cotes du
Jura in existence, with some wines going back to the 19th and
even 18th century.
We work exclusively with Jean-Francois Bourdy to
occasionally make limited numbers of these irreplaceable old
vintages available to discerning collectors.
Please email us if you're interested in old vintages of Château
Chalon.
