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 (Puffeneys 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 resultwhich had only been in bottle a month when we tasted itis 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 saltand, 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 Juraa place where mindful negligence yields poetry.”

-Rosenthal Wine Merchants