Les Matheny, "Arbois Chardonnay" 2015

Region: Jura, France

"Arbois Chardonnay “6 ans sous voile”: Emeric and Elise conducted an experiment on a particularly hardy parcel of old-vines Chardonnay from Montigny-les-Arsures (Puffeney’s home village, known affectionately as “The Capital of Trousseau”) in the 2011 vintage, letting it evolve in a 600-liter barrel for a full six years without topping it up at all. The result—which had only been in bottle a month when we tasted it—is startling in its intensity, a wine that stares you directly in the eye and dares you to blink. A full-on oxidative twang permeates the whole affair, yet so much else is taking place that it still feels like a backdrop: grilled pineapple, apple tart, and pork broth, all doused in salt—and, interestingly, a subtle autolytic note reminiscent of extended-lees-aged Champagne. Immense acidity and lift infuse everything with crackling electricity. This is the kind of wine that could only come from the Jura—a place where mindful negligence yields poetry."

-Rosenthal Wine Merchants