From: Jura, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: The Pierre Richard Crémant du Jura Brut Harmonie - comprised of 100% Chardonnay from the Jura’s cool clay and limestone soils, and is Crémant at its best - is a Champagne-lover’s (and sommelier’s) dream, providing the lively, cool-climate acidity and toasted, racy, and vivacious complexity of Champagne at less than half the price.
In the glass, you’ll find clean and elegant floral and white-fleshed fruit notes. Aromas of poached pear and toast follow. On the palate, a pleasant sensation of very fine bubbles with fruity and fresh flavors with a lingering finish that calls for another glass!
Pairing: A cheerful aperitif moment. Its freshness and elegance are made for the aperitif time, but the lovely fine bubbles can be enjoyed all night long. We know you want something more specific than that for this purpose, and thus, are sharing a delightfully easy-to-eat recipe for Corn and Shrimp Beignets by Yewande Komolafe. It’ll only take you 30 minutes to make this recipe and will yield 24 beignets, allowing you to kick back and enjoy the rest of the evening.
About. The Jura, in the Franche-Comté (free country) region of Eastern France, contains some of the oldest vineyards of France. It is also one of the smallest viticultural regions with a volume of less than 1% of the nation’s wine production. Despite its small size, the Jura produces some of our favorite French wines.
Five grape varieties are of importance in modern Jura. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay which were borrowed from Burgundy, although they have been grown in Jura vineyards since the middle ages, Poulsard, Trousseau, and Savagnin.
The roots for Domaine Pierre Richard begin in 1919 when Xavier Richard purchased adjacent properties from his neighbors, but it wasn't until his son Jean Richard took over did they begin concentrating on wine. In fact, by 1947 the domaine cultivated a local reputation in the area for its wines and by 1976, Pierre Richard continued the family tradition extending the property to Mantry where a former hill of vines has been reclaimed. In 2009, his son Vincent Richard returned to carry on the family name after studying viticulture and oenology at Beaune, and taking jobs in vineyards of St. Emilion and Cotes de Provence. He follows a long tradition of organic practices in his winemaking, though not certified.
Situated in the heart of the Jura, between Seille River and Lons le Saunier, the soils are perfect for white wine making and the vineyard plots have names that reflect on their past uses: "Les Charmes", "La Croix du Gyps" ... etc. But the domaine is small, encompassing only 11 hectares between the communes of Le Vernois, Voiteur, and Mantry.
From 35 year old vines are grown on clay and limestone soils, the grapes are hand-harvested at the end of October. Primary fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks and lasts two weeks with temperature control. The blending and bottling is done during the following year's harvest. Aged between 24-36 months on lees before bottling and disgorgement all mean a lot of wine for your dollar!
