Domaine de Montbourgeau 5 Etoiles 2021

Domaine de Montbourgeau is a fourth-generation estate in L'Étoile, a tiny Jura appellation set on marl and limestone soils rich in starfish fossils that lend the wines their salinity and tension. This cuvée blends Chardonnay with the local Savagnin and is farmed organically. Unlike the estate's flor-aged wines, it is made in a topped-up style, with the barrels kept full so the wine ages without a veil of yeast and keeps a fresher, more direct profile. It spends twelve months in large old foudres, whose size gives a slow, minimal oxygen exchange and lets the fruit and minerality stay to the fore while the lees add a fine texture. The colour is pale gold. The nose is delicate, with green apple and ripe pear over a light note of almond and chamomile. The palate is fresh and smooth, with a clean line of acidity, a saline, chalky finish and just enough weight from the foudre ageing to give length. This is the more approachable, mineral face of the Jura rather than its oxidative side. Serve at 10 to 12 degrees.