Domaine Berthet-Bondet : Tradition 2021

Characteristics and tasting notes for the Tradition 2021 Domaine Berthet-Bondet

Tasting

Color
The color reveals an intense golden yellow hue, reflecting the two years of oxidative aging in oak barrels.

Nose
The nose reveals a lovely aromatic complexity marked by notes of dried fruit, particularly dried apricots and raisins. Aromas of walnuts and toasted almonds intertwine with spicy touches evoking saffron and curry. Subtle notes of beeswax and a slight salinity, characteristic of Jura wines aged under a veil of yeast, can also be detected.

Palate
The attack on the palate is defined by a lively, structuring acidity that brings freshness to the whole. The texture is rich and unctuous, with lovely breadth. Flavors of cooked fruit, particularly baked apple and dried apricot, develop on the palate, accompanied by notes of bitter almond and a hot-stone minerality. The finish offers remarkable length, marked by an elegant salinity that perfectly balances the wine's richness.

Food and wine pairing

The Tradition 2021 pairs beautifully with smoked fish, particularly haddock. It also goes wonderfully with white meats served in creamy mushroom sauces, such as poultry with a morel sauce. Garlic and parsley snails and frog legs are other classic pairings. When it comes to cheese, opt for a Comté aged twenty-four months or more. This wine also pairs well with spicy dishes, particularly curry preparations made with poultry or seafood.

Service and aging potential

The Tradition 2021 can be enjoyed now and will continue to evolve until around 2051. It is recommended to let it breathe for an hour after opening to allow the aromas to fully develop.

Other characteristics

This dry white wine has an alcohol content of 13% vol.

A white wine from the Jura aged under a veil of yeast, an authentic expression of the Château-Chalon terroir

The estate

Founded in 1984 by Jean and Chantal Berthet-Bondet, two agronomists trained in Montpellier, Domaine Berthet-Bondet brought new life to a vineyard that had lain dormant for over fifty years. Located in the village of Château-Chalon, perched on the heights of the Jura, the estate now spans fifteen hectares, farmed organically and certified since 2013. Since 2018, Hélène Berthet-Bondet, the founders' daughter, has run the estate after leaving behind a career as a translator in Brussels to train in winemaking. Named Winemaker of the Year by the Guide Hachette des Vins in 2022, she continues the estate's tradition of excellence, renowned for its mastery of aging under a veil of yeast and for producing the full range of Jura wine styles.

The vineyard

The grapes for the Côtes du Jura Tradition come from plots situated on gravelly soils mixed with marl. The vines, averaging around thirty years of age, benefit from south and southwest exposures on the steep slopes of Château-Chalon, at an altitude of around four hundred and fifty meters. The semi-continental climate, characterized by hot summers and harsh winters, gives the grapes lovely ripeness while preserving natural acidity. The vineyard is farmed organically, favoring treatments based on copper and sulfur, alternating cover crops between rows, and manual work made necessary by the steep slopes.

The vintage

The 2021 vintage was marked by a devastating spring frost that destroyed around eighty percent of the estate's potential harvest. Despite these difficult conditions, the surviving grapes benefited from favorable summer conditions that allowed them to reach optimal ripeness, resulting in wines of great concentration and quality.

Winemaking and aging

Following manual harvesting, the grapes for the Tradition 2021 are destemmed and then pressed. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, using exclusively indigenous yeasts naturally present in the vineyard and cellar. The wine is then transferred to two-hundred-and-twenty-eight-liter oak barrels, around twenty years old, where it ages for a minimum of two years. During this time, the barrels are deliberately left unfilled, allowing a veil of yeast to form on the surface of the wine. This aging technique, carried out in a dry, well-ventilated cellar, gives the wine its characteristic aromas of dried fruit, nuts, and spices.

Grape varieties

Chardonnay (60%)
Savagnin (40%)