Montbourgeau L’Etoile 'L'Assemblage' Blanc 2022
The Wine
"A lifetime ago I was convinced into trying Montbourgeau’s wines by my wine merchant pal in Poligny, Jura. He’d wave the bottles at me while I was heading for his secret cellar list of ‘cooler producers’ and eventually I capitulated and, well, the rest is history. One of the best of best old school-good school producers in Jura, with the dial turned up on saline, savoury, nutty, fino characters. So you gotta dig that. Chardonnay wine.
Incredibly complex, indeed, few chardonnays can come close to the level of detail here. Almost a long, lees time Champagne kind of nutty-saline intensity, scents and flavours, slick-sticky in texture, rich but super fresh with salty acidity and green apple juice brightness. So much aroma, so much flavour. Such an outstanding, compelling, meal of a wine, but with cut and thrust and regal distinction." Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)
This cuvée is the classic white wine of Montbourgeau. It is usually bottled after 24 to 30 months of élevage in barrel. Chardonnay is the dominant grape but an occasional Savagnin vine is found within the Chardonnay plantings, an addition which adds a touch of complexity to the ultimate blend. The fermentation occurs in stainless steel but, after malolactic, the wine is racked into small barrel and demi-muids for two years. At that point, the entire production is assembled and left for several months in cuve before being bottled.
The Details
Variety - Chardonnay
Country - France
Region - Jura
Extra - Cork
Year - 2022
Volume - 750ml
About the Wine Maker 
The vineyard was planted in 1920, by Nicole Deriaux's grandfather, and has produced traditional Jura wines since. In 1956 Nicole’s father, Jean Gros, became the head of the family and taking his turn to develop the vineyard and the cellar. Then some thirty years later in 1986, it was finally time for Nicole to take part in the operation of the Domaine. Continuing the family tradition, she is now helped by her son Cesar. They Deriaux's are hard-working people, with their efforts reflected in bottle. The wines are precise, straightforward, and with superb intensity.
The ten hectares of vines are composed primarily of Chardonnay and 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 aims to retain and fully express the purity of l'Etoile terroir.
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; they are not topped off.
The small quantity of wines produced is then bottled, with no fining and a light filtration. The L'Etoile signature style, crafted by talented Nicole Deriaux, are wines of unique purity and elegance.
THE WINE FRONT, MIKE BENNIE: “One of those Jura producers that seems to get overlooked for the Instagrammable ones, and by virtue of that, leaves us, the righteous, opportunity to access the wines! Hurrah!”, “Organic producer that sits under the radar in Jura, but is firmly on mine now. It took me a while to get to these wines, but when I did they suddenly became very important in my Jura matrix.”
