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2020 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “Terres Blanches”
François Rousset-Martin
If you’re curious about Jura wines but don’t know where to start, might I suggest Terres Blanches. For such a small region, it’s astounding how many cuvées Jurassian producers make, often in unfamiliar styles or with esoteric grapes. But François has bottled an accessible, delectable Chardonnay that still very much translates its unique terroir; a fossil-laden former ocean. Made in the non-oxidative ouillé style, there is plenty of room for the fruit to shine through with a spine of savory salinity. Golden-hued and aromatically complex, notes of chamomile and green apple, lime zest and honey, will tickle your senses and leave your curiosity—and taste buds—wanting more.
—Allyson Noman
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chardonnay (ouillé) |
Appellation: | Côtes du Jura |
Country: | France |
Region: | Jura |
Producer: | François Rousset-Martin |
Winemaker: | Francois Rousset-Martin |
Vineyard: | 40 years, .6 ha |
Soil: | Gray, white marl |
Aging: | Aged for 15 months on fine lees |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 12.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

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This lushly textured and chalky beauty will make you wonder where your crispy crab cakes are hiding.

2020 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “La Chaux”
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This Chardonnay delivers an exotic nose of candied lemon and spices, focused acidity and a sensation of beeswax and nuts on the palate.

2023 Vin de France Gamay “Barbe Fleurie”
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2022 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “Croix Sarrant”
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?The aromatic equivalent of a punchy, yeasty Champagne, with a burnt-sugar nuttiness.

2022 Vin de France Aligoté “Aligatõ”
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About The Producer
François Rousset-Martin
About The Region
Jura
The Jura wine world is a fascinating, mysterious, and at times confusing one. The region’s recent surge in popularity on American wine lists lies in contrast with how strange its wines come across to the uninitiated, with many of its indigenous production methods and quirky winemakers requiring more than an introduction for one to fully savor their virtues. We firmly believe, however, that the pleasure at stake is well worth a slight detour to study the wild world of Jura.
Jura tradition calls for aging whites sous voile, or under a fine “veil” of yeast that grows over wine in barrel that has not been topped-off (non ouillé) to compensate for evaporation. The voile effectively slows the process of oxidation, while chemical reactions between these microorganisms and the wine below give rise to a highly distinctive and complex set of aromas. Often hinting at walnuts, beeswax, oriental spices, cheese rind, and brine, wines aged sous voile can come as a shock to the unhabituated palate. Their textural and aromatic singularity naturally sets them in a category of their own at table, perhaps the best setting in which to gain an appreciation for such wines.
Many Jura producers also produce more conventional whites in an ouillé, or topped-off style, as is practiced in Burgundy–or for that matter, in essentially all the white wines we are accustomed to. This method preserves fresh fruit flavors without the rather rustic, often funky oxidative notes typical of wines aged sous voile.
More from Jura or France
2022 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “Croix Sarrant”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2022 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “Beaumont”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2020 Côtes du Jura Savagnin “Cuvée du Professeur—Sous-Roche”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
NV Vin de France Chardonnay “La Chaux Passerillé” HALF BOTTLE
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
NV Vin de France Chardonnay “La Chaux Passerillé”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2023 Vin de France Gamay “Barbe Fleurie”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2020 Côtes du Jura Savagnin “Oxymore”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2012 Vieux Macvin de Chardonnay
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2022 Côtes du Jura Savagnin “Cuvée du Professeur—Sous-Roche”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2019 Côtes du Jura Savagnin “Perrières”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2022 Vin de France Aligoté “Aligatõ”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2020 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “La Chaux”
Domaine Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2022 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “Croix Sarrant”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2022 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “Beaumont”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2020 Côtes du Jura Savagnin “Cuvée du Professeur—Sous-Roche”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
NV Vin de France Chardonnay “La Chaux Passerillé” HALF BOTTLE
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
NV Vin de France Chardonnay “La Chaux Passerillé”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2023 Vin de France Gamay “Barbe Fleurie”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2020 Côtes du Jura Savagnin “Oxymore”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2012 Vieux Macvin de Chardonnay
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2022 Côtes du Jura Savagnin “Cuvée du Professeur—Sous-Roche”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2019 Côtes du Jura Savagnin “Perrières”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2022 Vin de France Aligoté “Aligatõ”
François Rousset-Martin France | Jura
2020 Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “La Chaux”
Domaine Rousset-Martin France | Jura
Where the newsletter started

Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch