Domaine Rolet L’Étoile Blanc Chardonnay 2023

Domaine Rolet, founded in 1942, is a Jura mainstay, and its L'Étoile Blanc Chardonnay takes its name from the tiny fossilised sea lilies, or pentacrines, that lie in the local soils. Those marl and limestone soils, laid down under an ancient sea, drain slowly and give Jura Chardonnay its firm structure and stony minerality. The climate is cool and continental, with a wide diurnal range that holds acidity while the fruit ripens, and this wine is farmed organically. It is aged twelve months in barrel, where slow oxygen exchange through the wood and contact with the lees build a rounded, savoury texture and gentle nutty complexity without stripping the fruit. The colour is bright gold. The nose shows ripe pear, apple, hazelnut and a touch of toasted bread. The palate is dry and full, the orchard fruit met by a creamy mid palate and a long, mineral finish that reflects the fossil rich ground. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a broad glass. It is well suited to white fish in butter, roast chicken, richer fish such as trout, and hard nutty cheeses like Comté.