Château-Chalon

Château-Chalon is a wonderful Jura wine. Protected by an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) since 1936, this world-renowned yellow wine is produced on some 60 hectares of steep vineyards.

It covers four communes in the Jura department: Château-Chalon, Domblans, Menetru-le-Vignoble and Nevy-sur-Seille.

 It is distinguished by its richness and generosity, its beautiful golden color that turns amber with age, and its exceptional ageing potential. Production of this precious wine dates back to the Middle Ages, and today it is subject to strict controls and monitoring.

The village, ranked among the most beautiful in France, is the original birthplace of the famous Vin Jaune. Perched on the edge of a cliff, it dominates the steep slopes of the vineyards, protecting them from the north and east winds. The first grape varieties were planted in the 7th century by the Benedictine nuns of a now-defunct abbey.

The greatness of Château-Chalon wines owes much to the nature of the soil in which the vines thrive, made of Lias marl (the famous blue marl) mixed with pebbles from the cliff scree. Château-Chalon's vineyards are spread over 50 hectares and lie on deep blue Lias marl overlaid with limestone scree. The vines are often planted on steep slopes protected by limestone cliffs. The climate is semi-continental, with marked seasons and harsh winters.

Facing south/southwest, the slopes benefit from maximum sunshine, providing long-lasting warmth that is preserved by this type of soil. The Château-Chalon appellation covers 4 communes (Nevy-sur-Seille, Ménétru-le-Vignoble, Domblans and Château-Chalon) and produces around 35 hectolitres per hectare.

Château-Chalon is a yellow wine made exclusively from the Savagnin grape variety. The Château-Chalon appellation produces wines of excellence, very rich and powerful, with a golden color and a long ageing potential of up to several centuries. This is truly a quality vineyard, with even more stringent controls than the others. For example, since 1958, an AOC Château-Chalon wine control commission has visited the vines every year just before harvest to check that the grapes have all the qualities required to produce a yellow wine worthy of its reputation.

The "King of wines and wine of kings" can be tasted. To the eye, it is a deep golden color, evolving to amber with age. On the nose, it offers a marked scent of walnut, nuanced with almond and hazelnut, with a refreshing note of green apple. 

The palate is harmonious and generous, perfectly balanced with delicate aromas of spices [curry, tobacco, wheat] and dried fruit [hazelnuts] tempered by a mineral note, all enveloping the traditional walnut of Jura wines. The attack is powerful and the experience leaves a beautiful fullness in the mouth. 

This magnificent wine, elegant and full of personality, stands out for its power. Rich and generous, it remains dry and lively, with a rather high alcohol content. It should be served at 14° and aired for a few hours before drinking. It goes perfectly with white meats, with cream or curry sauce, morel mushrooms... and fish with character [haddock, American-style lobster]. It is also a natural accompaniment to Comté cheese. For dessert, it's perfect with chocolate walnut cake.

Château-Chalon white wine is ranked among the top five in the world. Remarkable not only for its organoleptic qualities, but also for the way it is vinified. After fermentation, it is aged for a minimum of six years and three months, five of which are spent in oak barrels. It is not racked or topped up, and remains in contact with the air. A veil of yeast forms to protect it and give it its distinctive yellow wine taste. The bottle [le clavelin] is 62 cl, as Château-Chalon's "angels' share" [evaporation during vinification] would be 38 cl/l of grape juice. A wine of excellence and remarkable ageing potential, it retains its qualities for decades, and sometimes even longer.

One of its producers, Jean Macle, is particularly well known for his dedication to the revival of Jura viticulture and the preservation of these exceptional wines. He was instrumental in setting up a harvest committee which, together with the INAO, analyzes each vineyard parcel individually. Defects in health or acidity, or excessive yields, lead to the downgrading of all or part of the harvest, thus guaranteeing the quality of the vintage.