2012 Domaine Montbourgeau L'Etoile Vin Jaune (750ml) Pre-Arrival

"Montbourgeau is the leading domaine at the small village and appellation of l'Etoile, a source of some of the most elegant wines from Jura. Their wines epitomize that style, with wines of great finesse, beautifully textured, clean, fresh and nuanced, with great balance and amazing aging potential.

"Year in, year out, the Vin Jaune from Montbourgeau has shown exceptional finesse and elegance, and the 2012 L'Etoile Vin Jaune is no exception. The grapes were picked quite late and achieved exceptional ripeness, then they were destemmed and pressed in a pneumatic press. The juice had a classic fermentation with temperature control, then the wine was transitioned to a 3,000-liter oak foudre, where it spent six months. Then, it was transferred to 230-liter oak barrels to undergo its real élevage without ever being topped up, which caused the development of a thin, gray veil of yeasts (flor) for almost seven years, during which time, they tasted the wine two or three times per year. After that time, they analyzed the ethanol and decided which barrels would go into the blend and which would not. The resulting wine is nutty and spicy and has some aromas of rubber and petrol, hints of herbs and smoke. The palate is full bodied at 14% alcohol, and the wine shows terrific concentration and balance. Bravo!" 98 points - Luis Gutiérrez (Wine Advocate, Apr 2021)