Several generations have been necessary to patiently built one of the largest and greatest estates in the area, focused on key appellations such as Château-Chalon, l’Étoile and Arbois. The Domaine MAIRE & Fils covers nowadays 234 hectares of vines producing all the area grapes varieties.
L'ÉTOILE 2022
CHARDONNAY

click on one of the vintages below for further information

2020   2022  

Chardonnay 86% - Savagnin 14%

Chardonnay originally comes from Burgundy. Nevertheless, it has been cultivated in the Jura since the 10^th century and has become a native of this region. It gives white wines with floral aromas – citrus fruit, peach and white flowers – as well as hints of hazelnut and grilled almonds. It is combined with Savagnin, a typical Jura vine variety that expresses more mineral hints.

With a clear and brilliant colour, this wine presents green and pale gold reflections. Its complex nose reveals finesse and minerality. In the mouth its attack is frank and opens on mineral notes and dried fruit. This wine has a good amplitude and a very long persistence.

Serve it with langoustines, fish terrine, white meats and French Comté cheese. When used in cooking, it gives a touch of refinement in coulis and sauces for top-quality meat.

12 to 14°C (53-57°F).

5 to 6 years.

The Jura wine region is small in size but large in its remarkable diversity. It covers 80 kilometres between Burgundy and Switzerland, in the eastern France.

L’ÉTOILE AOC has been producing exceptional white wines – including vin jaune and vin de paille – since 1937. The Chardonnay vine variety reigns supreme there, used either alone or in combination with Savagnin.

The name of this AOC is something of a legend. It may refer to the presence of numerous small star-shaped fossils called pentacrines, which are a distinctive feature of its terroir. It may also refer to the star shape formed by the five hills surrounding the village.

The nature of the clayey-limestone soils favors Chardonnay (locally called Gamay blanc), omnipresent on the appellation, representing 90% of the grape varieties. The marls covered with limestone clays and limestone fragments are only very rare here. The L'Etoile vineyard therefore benefits from a lighter soil than elsewhere, which undoubtedly gives the specificity to its wines.

The work in the vines, is based on the respect of the nature and the soil. For young vines, located on steep slopes, to avoid erosion, we cultivate a row out of two, practice soil reassembly to aerate the lands subjected to settlement due to moisture, and grass with plants. Such as clover, which, by competing on the vine, can modulate its mineral and water supply and control its vigor and yield. The Guyot double size is necessary for the Chardonnay to better control its performance. The restructuring of the vines contributes to the harmony of our cuvée: the young vines bring the exuberance, the freshness and the acidity. While the older specimens bring the structure and character.

Reception of the grapes, vatting by gravity into a thermo-regulated tank for the fermentation. They are pressed, and musts are settling under control temperature. Then the fermentation is engaged and maintained at low temperature (20- 22°C). Ageing in stainless steel tanks, for 2 -3 months to aid the preservation of the wine's minerality, purity of fruit and crisp acidity.

Having endured the nights at the beginning of April, we were spared from the effects of the frost. A budburst on 13 April and flowering on 23 May promised an early harvest. June saw more than 150 mm of rainfall, allowing the marl soils to build up some healthy reserves to cope with the hot summer weather.

The harvest, running from 16 August to 15 SeptemberThe grapes destined for the Crémant du Jura opened the show on 16 August, being the earliest date on record at the estate. This decision paid off as the balance of acidity was in line with what we were looking for. For our other Jura appellations, a generous rainfall on the weekend of 20 August allowed the vines to finish ripening in the best conditions.

The excellent health of the grapes allowed us to prolong the harvest until mid-September, with the opportunity to boost the maturity of the reds to their best polyphenolic potential, particularly for the Pinot Noir grapes, creating powerful, full-bodied wines. The white Chardonnays and Savagnins express floral aromas with a perfectly balanced mineral structure.