Another Jura email, you say? New Wines from Puffeney and Gahier…
3/09/11 -
As exciting as it is to introduce our customers to fantastic and perhaps under the radar Jura growers such as Jean-Francois Ganevat, it is equally rewarding to remind our readers of a paradigm grower, Jacques Puffeney, whose wines have created a high standard for the region of Arbois and have been gracing our shelves for years. Puffeney’s wines inspire adoration that begins as the aromas first leap from the glass and deepens after the bottle has been open for an hour or two or three. These are clawed from the earth wines that offer the drinker a peek at the terroir of the region, the millennia old Jurassic limestone soil, the cool climate, and the verdant, somewhat mystical landscape that yields them. The reds show the high-toned, savory, herb-y character of grapes grown in a place where ripeness isn’t a given; the whites demonstrate an adherence to the traditional winemaking of the region in a time when many growers are opting for more modern techniques.
For those unfamiliar with this man’s work, Puffeney farms just a few hectares of vines in and around the village of Montigny-les-Arsures. He has been making wine since he was a teenager and learned the trade from his father. Made with the utmost respect for tradition, Puffeney’s wines spend years in old foudres before bottling. They can have slightly stern edges that will mellow with time, ripping acidity in the case of the whites and firm minerality in the case of the reds. These are special wines that are well worth considering for your table as well as your cellar. Additionally, it gives us much pleasure to offer a handful of new wines from Puffeney’s neighbor and protégé, Michel Gahier. This is an only recently imported grower about whom little information is available. Tasting his recent releases has sparked a hunger for further knowledge. A true master, we eagerly look forward to many more vintages of his Poulsard, Trousseau, and Savagnin. In some ways more easy-going than Puffeney’s wines, Gahier’s ’09 Poulsard is an absolute delight and his Savagnin a succulent joy. Quantities are limited and the time to buy these wines is now. -msb
