Act Natural

How I've come around to the idea of funky wines

I’m somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to wine. For a long time I’ve been of the belief that ‘good wine’ = clean + precise, and thus held quite a lot of disdain for the world of natural wines. I remember when I had first received the offer for my current job and had met with a friend to celebrate. He had very thoughtfully brought me a bottle of wine as a congratulations, a pet-nat Pinotage - the antithesis of the House I was starting to work for; known for their clean, crisp, elegant Champagnes. After trying it I must say it wasn’t as horrid (sorry H!) as I expected, and had some pretty good qualities, along with the traditional funkiness from wines like this.

There began my journey into natural wine, and now I enjoy them more regularly than 20 year old ‘Claret & Burgundy’ Magnus would have ever thought possible. I’m still looking for a combination of precision & finesse and, unfortunately, this usually comes from the top producers who make wine in ridiculously tiny volumes. As you can imagine, when supply is so limited and demand for high quality, low-intervention wines is ever increasing, prices can start to get a touch silly. I’m always on the hunt for new and exciting wines (that don’t break the bank), so if you have any recommendations please do let me know in the comments.

The Jura has only recently drawn my attention in terms of delicious and funky wines. [A bit off track but I thought it was frightfully exciting that the Jurassic Period got it’s name from the Jura!!!] This region, halfway between Burgundy and Switzerland, is quite famous for its unique Vin Jaune made from the local grape variety, Savagnin. This white (or yellow) wine is fermented to dryness and then aged in oak for 6+ years with no topping up. During this time a thin layer of yeast develops, which protects the wine from oxidation and imparts a load of sherry-like aromas into the liquid. As my Diploma classmates can verify, I don’t care for Sherry. In fact, there were a couple of occasions where I had been brought terrifyingly close to showing the room my breakfast upon encountering a biologically aged Sherry. I don’t know what it is but I just cannot stand the smell, and unfortunately this is also true for Vin Jaune. Luckily, the Jura also produces some brilliant red wines, and delightful Chardonnays.

Chardonnay now accounts for nearly 45% of all plantings in the Jura, and is used in a variety of styles of wine there - such as the sparkling Cremant du Jura, or the sweet & fortified Macvin du Jura. It is also used to make a Côtes du Jura, either blended together with Savagnin or as a single varietal wine.

One such wine I had the pleasure of tasting recently for my socials (see below) was the Domaine Ganevat ‘Les Chamois du Paradis’ 2019. A Côtes du Jura Chardonnay, made from old vines and aged in large oak barrels for four years before being bottled without fining or filtration, and without the addition of SO₂. I found this bottle on the shelf of a local wine merchant, Philglas & Swiggot, while on the search for something entirely different, the staff there were extremely helpful and just as excited about this wine as I felt. I was slightly familiar with Jean François and knew that his wines are made in tiny quantities, with merchants receiving miniscule allocations, so I “had” to impulse buy this bottle. It cost me £135, and I tasted it via Coravin for the sake of making the bottle last as long as possible (one glass every other night for the next week or so), and I was not disappointed in the slightest. The wine was crisp, light and refreshing, while holding an incredible degree of complexity along with the most delightful texture in the mouth. The citrus and stone fruits balanced beautifully with a layer of nuts and caramel to create this truly delicious glass of wine. I would highly recommend it to anyone on the fence about the natural side of fine wine, if you can find a bottle that is!

@magnusvinoWine in Focus: Côtes du Jura from Domaine Ganevat #wine #chardonnay #france

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I quite enjoy being proved wrong. Well maybe not being proved wrong but at least I enjoy learning new things and discovering new passions. So for me, this awakening into the elegance of minimal intervention is bloody exciting, and I can only apologise for my past (slightly scathing) comments to friends about my thoughts on the trend of natural wine making. I have a lot to learn, and a lot to drink, in order to make it up to these producers.