On March 19th Stephane Tissot visited Oslo to host an extensive tasting of 20 wines. Throughout the tasting it is clear that Stephane Tissot is a winemaker that likes experimenting. There is difference in styles, but wines show their origins from the Jura.

Cremant du Jura brut NV
55/45 chardonnay/pinot noir. Now a blend of 4 vintages. Residual sugar less than 4 g/L. Young and flowery nose with hints of chalk, leafs, bread, yeast. Some fatness in the mouth. Concentrated and flowery style. Medium acidity and length. Not as impressive as the 96-vintage. Less depth. Perhaps too young.

Arbois Chardonnay classique 2005
Fruity chardonnay in the nose. Touch of sweet flowers and a little oak. Typical Chardonnay-mouthfeel. Fullbodied, a little sweet fruit, but young and refreshing style. To be drunk young. Uncomplicated.

Arbois Chardonnay "La Mailloche" 2004
100% chardonnay. A little deeper colour. Spicier nose. Flowers, some mineral depth. More interest here. Also fuller in the mouth with better structure. A touch of oak in the mineral - flowery-fruit. Fine.

Arbois Chardonnay Les Graviers 2004
Again a flowery nose. But this is much more intense and with greater depth. Some spice, citrus and more minerality. Complex. Fullbodied Chardonnay in the mouth. Refreshing and higher acidity. Noticable oak. Young. Fine fruit, great depth. Very good indeed. One of my favorites.

Arbois Chardonnay Les Bruyeres 2003
A little deeper colour. Riper nose. Touch of raisins, oak, flowers. Little less minerality showing. Fullbodied with more upfront fat. Still a very fine acidic structure. But fruit is simpler. One to drink earlier while the fruit is there.

Cotes du Jura Chardonnay En Barberon 2003
Colour similar to the previous wine. The nose is spicier again. Shows a little less, but some fine hints of flowers and oak. Very powerful in the mouth though. Concentrated and with a great acidic structure for this vintage. Also a little CO2. More mineral fruit. Some hints of lime. Chalk in the finish. Very fine wine and great from this vintage.

Arbois Chardonnay Clos de la Tour de Couron 2004
Vines planted 2002. The only clos in Jura. 4 g/L residual sugar, 6 g/L acid, 14,4% alcohol. Greener notes on the nose. Hints of nettles, flowers, some earth, touch minerality. In the mouth the fruit does not show much. Slimmer and refined styled. But also a bit closed. Good structure. Need smore time. Potensially great.

Arbois Chardonnay Les Bruyeres 1999
Yelllow colour. Fine nose of chalk, dark bread, minerals. Not unlike a still Cote de blancs-champagne. Fullbodied wine in the mouth. More chardonnayish here. A little fat. Fine hints of chalk. Dark bread, citrus, slight flowers. Evolved and drinking fine now. Good acidity and length.

Arbois Poulsard Les Bruyeres sans soufre 2005
The unsulphured poulsard comes in 2005 exclusively from the Bruyeres-vineyard. It has a brick-red colour. The nose is expressive with lots of young red fruit. Some tar and flowers. Medium bodied in the mouth. Good concentration for poulsard and more than the 04. Young fruity style right now. Fine acidity, some spritz. Good structure. Some tannins showing in the back. Good poulsard, but I think I slightly prefer the little less ripe 04.

Arbois Trousseau Singulier 2005
Purple-red transparent colour. Raw and fruity nose. Hints of rasberries. Acidic and young in the mouth. Very raw fruit. Rasberries. Medium bodied. Tigh finish. Very young right now and hard to judge. Needs time to settle. It has more concentration than the very good 04.

Cotes du Jura Pinot noir En Barberon 2005
Bottled in january. Red colour. Nose shows oak and rasberries. A little closed. Medium bodied in the mouth. Young and tight wine that shows more fruit than the nose, but still with apparent oak, especially on the finsh. I dislike the oakiness found here.

Arbois Traminer 2004
Aged in tank. 5 g/L residual sugar. Yellow colour. Fine non-voile nose of yellow fruits, bitter flowers, minerals. Fullbodied in the mouth. Lot of fruit, some fat. Flowery and light sweetness noticable. Medium acidity, good length. Quite round style. Interesting.

Arbois Savagnin 2003
So to 4 wines made under sous voile - or flor as it is known in Jerez. First is the younger-styled savagnin. Yellow-brown colour. Fine and salty sous voile-nose with hints of flowers, roasted nuts and spice. Complex. Medium bodied in the mouth. Fine nutty fruit. Salty and mineral style. Young. Refreshing. Good length. A great introduction to Jura's sous voile-wines.

Arbois Vin Jaune 1999
And now for something even more serious. Deeper golden-brown colour. Fine and nutty nose with hints of flowers, voile and fenugreek. Dry and more salty and mienral style in the mouth. Still lots of flowers in the fruit and nuts. Fullbodied and tight style. Young. Great vin jaune.

Arbois Vin Jaune 1998
More golden in colour. Deep colour. Less mineral and voile in the nose. More roasted nuts. Fullbodied and a little fatter style in the mouth. Still shows crispness. Fruit a little more closed than the nose. Tight. Seems to miss the final depth of the 99. Still very good vin jaune.

Arbois Vin jaune 1985
Colour equal to the 1998. More nutty old woody-nose here. Old style. Complex. Hints of caramel, some voile. Fullbodied and traditionally made vin jaune. More hints of nuts and old woods. Some voile. Citrus in the finish. Lacks a little the crispness of the 99 and 98. Longer taste and drinks well now. But not the same quality as the two young vin jaunes.

Audace rouge 2005
So to 4 sweet wines made as paille - or passito as we know it in Italy. Note that only 1 wine is labelled as such, due to lower actual alcohol. The audace is 100% poulsard, macerated for 1 month, 8,5% alcohol. It has a deep red colour. The sweet nose shows lots of dark fruits. In the mouth it is fullbodied and sweet. Very fruity and refreshing style. Good acidity and some tannins in the back. Very fine sweet red.

Arbois Vin de Paille 2003
40% each poulsard and savagnin. 20% chardonnay. Alcohol around 14%. Copper/orange colour. Nose is very honeyed and tropical. Sweet and intense. Hints of vanilla and caramel. Sweet in the mouth and more concentration. Fine fruit and very interesting. Noticable alcohol. Fine.

Spirale 2004
Practically almost identical to the "official" vin de paille. But the spirale has only 8,5% alcohol. The colour is equal. The nose is a little more intense and sweeter. More hints of strawberries, honey and some earth. Sweeter, rounder and more elegant style in the mouth than the paille. Fruit shows more strawberries. Very fine indeed.

PMG 2003
Made from poulsard and savagnin. 460 g/L residual sugar, 6% alcohol, no sulphur in the vinification. Copper/brown colour. Nose shows a little citrus, nuts and honey, but is a little shy this day. In the mouth the huge concentration and richness is very obvious. Nutty and complex fruit. Fine acidity and long-lasting taste. Great wine.

Generally I like the wines of Stephane Tissot. His experiments with lower alcohol in the sweet wines are a huge success. The more rounder and softer balance really suits these wines. The more traditionally made vin jaunes are really great and some of the best from the area. The chardonnays are very good and I liked especially the Les Graviers 04 is a success. I am looking forward to follow the Clos de la Tour de Couron as the vines grow older. This is really one to look out for in the future. The oaking in the pinot noir is too far IMO. Here it would suit the wine if he took it a bit down. Of the reds I tasted I liked the Poulsard best, it is one with a great concentration for this grape. The Trousseau is also a personal favorite, but the young one was hard to taste. The 04 is drinking fine these days. So perhaps only a year in bottle does so much good to a Trousseau?


Arnt Egil Nordlien
notes: March-07

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