2018 Fumey Chatelain Ploussard Grappes Entières de Fertand
VARIETAL: Poulsard
REGION: Jura, FR
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic
WINEMAKER: Raphaël Fumey & Adeline Chatelain
This is a youthful take on old 70-year-old vines – the bunches are kept whole (80%) and macerated for 20 days. Minimally handled and whole bunch fermented with native yeasts. It is aged in stainless steel tank for 11 months.
Ploussard is unusually ethereal in colour and feel, yet with earthy, gamey flavours to flesh out its light frame. The whole bunch characters lead the way with catchy red pepper spice. The palate shows lightly extracted yet concentrated cranberry, cherry and sour plum skin flavours, underpinned by notes of dried oregano and chilli. The stalky tannins add a nice tension and acid vibrancy to the finish.
"One of the last remaining of the true winemaking families in Jura, Marin Fumey and his family still make all of their wines end-to-end with Raphael tending the vineyards (all 15 hectares himself), Adeline the cellar door and administration and Marin the entirety of the winemaking. Marin's sister also designed and produced the labels during the recent brand refresh, a project undertaken to reflect the increased involvement of the family.
Like the majority of our growers, Fumey-Chatelain's efforts in the vineyard of late have been focussed on a steady conversion to complete organic viticulture. During Marin's tenure in the New World, working for Spinifex (Barossa), Crystallum (SA) and Burn Cottage (Central Otago) taught him a nouveau way of expressing terroir, learnings that he brought home with him to Montigney-Les-Arsures and is now expressing through his pristine wines.
Yes, these are thoughtful, natural wines. The abundance of native yeasts in the area make it a crime to inoculate here - though many do - and everything is bottled without filtration. However the most striking aspect of these wines across the board though is not their fruitiness nor freshness, it is their reflection of the unique terroir just north of Arbois. Predominantly clay/limestone, these vineyards are shot through with mineral fossil deposits which, in combination of ideal aspect/altitude brings a tight mineral composition to these wines that is distinctive and in the case of a few of the wines completely spellbinding."