2018 Montbourgeau 'L'Etoile Blanc' Chardonnay. Jura-FRANCE. 750ml.
The winemaker Nicole Deriaux and her son César are hard-working people and there is no bling-bling here. The wines are “straightforward”, “droit” and intense. I believe the precise and discreet work of the Deriaux family deserve more attention as their wines make a difference in the glass. The Domaine is situated in the southwestern area of the Jura more precisely in the village of L’Etoile. “L’Etoile” simply means “star”. The name come from either the fact that five hills are surrounding the village in the shape of a star or, and this option seems more accurate, because of the many fossils of ancient starfish that you can find in the soils of this appellation. The appellation is one of the smallest in the Jura with only 52 hectares, mostly in the village of L’Etoile. The ten hectares of vines are planted primarily in Chardonnay, Savagnin as well as some reds with a small planting of Trousseau and Poulsard. The vineyard is organically farmed, and the vinification is very traditional respecting the ancient practices of this region. Nicole Deriaux through her natural approach to viticulture and winemaking aim to retain and fully express the purity of l'Etoile terroir. The soils are composed of limestone and marl with old vines including some 90 years vines. Average density is 6000 vines per hectares. Many works are done by hand in the vineyard. When harvest time comes, the grapes are pick by hands and then vinified in the cave underneath Deriaux's home. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks using strictly indigenous yeasts. Then all the wines are racked into a mix of old foudres, demi-muids and smaller barrels. The whites are matured in barrel; they are never racked; and only occassionally topped up.