Vinous: 94 Points
The 2021 Savagnin Côtes du Jura En Chalasse is a stunner. It hails from a certified-organic 1.1-hectare plot with vines planted in 1990 and 2003. The 2021 delights with nuances of saffron chamomile lemon peel and yellow apple. Built around a firm acidic backbone it packs a vibrant personality yet exudes a great sense of harmony. Closing with salty nuances on the long-lasting finish the En Chalasse is one to look out for. Tasted twice with consistent notes. - By Nicolas Greinacher on July 2024 Domaine Labet a family-run winery spread over 14 hectares in Rotalier has long been a trailblazer in the region. In the late 1980s Alain Labet became one of the first Jura winemakers to break with the tradition of leaving barrels un-topped pioneering the production of topped-up white wines. Today Labet?s three children?Julien Romain and Charlene?run the estate. During my visit I met with Charlene Labet. About one-third of the vines here are over 60 years old mostly originating from massal selections. For these older vines all work is done exclusively with horses. The winery processes only estate-grown grapes with red grapes partially or fully de-stemmed. For the topped-up white wines each plot is vinified separately with long fermentations using indigenous yeasts. While oak vessels remain dominant during maturation the Labets have also begun experimenting with amphorae and concrete eggs. The oxidative white wines ferment in foudres before being transferred into old oak barriques in the spring for extended aging. Tasting through their extensive portfolio the Côtes du Jura Savagnin En Chalasse from both current and past vintages is particularly impressive as well as the 2018 Savagnin Les Insolites and the 2015 and 2016 Vin Jaune with the latter knocking it out of the park. In addition to their high standards of quality I commend the Labets for their transparency in including technical details like total SO2 and volatile acidity on their back labels. Make no mistake: these wines are full of substance life and complexity confirming that the three Labet siblings produce some of the appellation?s finest. The reds often undergo intracellular fermentation before the main fermentation. "We store our grape crates in the fridge for a couple of days then destem and by the time the temperature rises for active fermentation it may be eight days after harvesting" Charlene explains continuing "Then it's 10-15 days of vatting in full fermentation." The reds age between five and eight months aiming for delicate flavor profiles emphasizing freshness and high natural acidity over full-bodied richness.
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Wine Advocate: 94 Points
The very scarce ouillé 2021 En Chalasse Savagnin part of the Les Parcelles Rares range comes from 1.1 hectares planted with the variety in a well-known terroir in the south of Jura planted 50/50 with Savagnin Vert and Savagnin Jaune biotypes in 1990 and 2003 at 260 meters in altitude on blue marl from Lias soils. The grapes were picked the 30th of September quite late into the cool season and vinified with indigenous yeasts. The wine matured in topped-up foudres and 350-liter barrels for 22 months. It has an expressive nose of ripe Savagnin with some exotic notes yellow flowers and fruit tangerine peel pollen. It's ripe and powerful with 14% alcohol a pH of 3.1 denoting very good freshness and high acidity seven grams with 0.57 grams of volatile acidity and eight milligrams of total sulfur dioxide. The palate is sharp and tasty medium-bodied with very good freshness and a long dry finish. It was bottled in August 2023. The wines from Labet have gained precision and character in the last few years. Early on they might have been a bit heterogeneous then the style turned very sharp and now they seem to have more balance and character while they are precise and show the southern style in some cases reminding me of some wines from Ganevat. After all they are in the same village... Unfortunately the wines seem to be getting scarcer and/or more difficult to find but I taste all the bottles that come my way. Published: Aug 08 2024
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