The Vin Jaune of Jura: history and production

Every first weekend of February, nearly 30,000 visitors converge on the Jura. What major event draws such crowds ? The Percée du vin jaune of course ! Celebrated each year in turn in one of the region's wine-producing villages, the ceremony marks the “ mise en perce ” (the opening of a barrel to draw the wine) after six years and three months of aging, which is the minimum time required before the famous wine can be sold.

The ceremony is an opportunity for the public to taste yellow wines and Jura wines in the many cellars where most of the producers set up for the occasion.

But how did we come to celebrate the vin jaune (yellow wine) ? What is its history? Where and how is it produced ? What does it taste like ? You will find all the answers to these questions in this reading of less than 5 minutes.

History of Vin Jaune

The history of Vin Jaune begins with a legend : it tells that a winemaker, having abandoned a barrel at the back of his cellar, was very pleasantly surprised, many years later, by the delicious flavor of the nectar obtained. It would therefore be by chance that  Vin Jaune  was born? While the story is charming, it is probably too good to be true.

Unfortunately, to date, very few elements are available to confirm the precise origin of this wine. In fact, although the first written record documenting vin jaune dates back only to 1822, we do know that its existence is older, as the oldest bottle of vin jaune found dates back to 1774. Some theories even trace its origins back to the 13th century !

Finally, the famous "Percée du vin jaune" was only created in 1996 by the winemaker Bernard Badoz to honor the subtlety and complexity of this precious golden nectar. While his initial intention was to create a true evening of discovery and tasting, it must be admitted that the event has since lost its former glory and most often turns into a drinking spree (much like the festivities organized for Beaujolais Nouveau).

While the history of this wine remains generally quite mysterious, it is nevertheless easier to understand its production and winemaking. First of all, vin jaune comes (as you may have understood) from the Jura, a small wine region stretching over 80 kilometers, and can be produced within 4 AOCs: Côtes du Jura, Étoile, Arbois as well as Château-Chalon whose 50 hectares are dedicated exclusively to its production.

Moreover, this is a wine produced from a single, unique local grape variety : the savagnin. While this grape can certainly be vinified in a “ classic ” way to produce a fruity and saline wine, a completely different aromatic profile will emerge when it is made into vin jaune.

To bear the designation “vin jaune”, the savagnin must be aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 6 years and three months without topping up. Topping up is a method that consists of filling a barrel as the wine inside evaporates (the famous “ angels’ share ”) with the same wine of similar quality.This process protects the wine during aging from oxidation (as the wine is in contact with more oxygen in the barrel if it is not completely filled).

Here, thanks to this non topping-up, a layer of yeast will form on the surface of the liquid in the cask, thus protecting the wine from excess oxygen. It is this atypical and long barrel aging that will give the wine its famous "yellow" taste with complex and unique aromas.

Once the vinification is complete, our nectar will be bottled in a specific format : the clavelin, a beautiful old school-looking 62cl bottle. Why this volume? Quite simply because after evaporation during this long aging process (see "angels' share"), there would theoretically remain 62 cl of wine for each liter originally vinified.