RARE: Aged Vin Jaune
1988 Puffeney Arbois Vin Jaune
The Only Bottles Available in the World
Released After 13 Years in Barrel Under Flor
Vin jaune is surely the crown jewel of the Jura. It delivers a level of complexity and a singular style (to say the least) that places it among the most interesting wines around. But for vin jaune to really show what it's made of, it requires some serious age.
Today we're happy to offer an example.
There's so little of this wine that I'm afraid writing anything will only fan the fire. Please note from the outset that because of the limited quantities available, we're limiting purchases to one bottle per customer. If you're receiving this offer, it's only because you've purchased vin jaune from us in the past.
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Puffeney is one of the Jura's old guard and one of its great traditionalists - he's so well-respected even within the region that he's nicknamed the Pope of Arbois. He was also one of the first from the region to make wines that became widely available. Indeed, Puffeney's were my own first introduction to the Jura.
In terms of style, if you're familiar with the vin jaunes of Macle in Château-Chalon or Montbourgeau in Etoile, with their fine, mineral-infused and elegant structure, Puffeney's area of Arbois produces richer, more powerful wines. They are oily in texture, robustly earthy and punctuated by spice.
The 88 on offer today spent 13 years in barrel under flor - that's twice the required six and a half required for vin jaune. According to Puffeney, eight to ten years was the norm for vin jaune in the 19th century; he started his own extra-long barrel aging for select vin jaunes with the 1986 vintage.
The result of the longer time in barrel is more intensity and concentration from further evaporation, plus more complexity due to the fascinating chemical reactions that take place under the influence of the voile.
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| The attic area where Puffeney ages his voile wines |
As I mentioned at the beginning, the virtues of vin jaune reveal themselves with age - 20, 30, 40 years (plus)... that's a considerable period even after their release. A tasting of Macle Château-Chalons from the 70s and 80s last year really drove this point home; they were some of the most memorable bottles of last year.
The only issue is that finding aged bottles of vin jaune from top producers is very difficult. Today, Puffeney's 88 offers an opportunity to glimpse a vin jaune with enough age on it to begin to get a sense of its trajectory and the complexity it has to offer. Should you wish to delay gratification, another decade should be no problem for this wine.
We are limiting purchases to one bottle per customer because we want the greatest amount of people to have the opportunity to try the wine. Even though we've kept the recipients of this email to a very small number, we expect a quick sell out.
To order, reply to this email or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
