2016 Domaine Phillippe Vandelle L'Etoile Vin Jaune - Jura, France (620ml)

The Etoile estate, where Philippe learned winemaking techniques and secrets at a very young age from his grandfather Joseph, has been in the Vandelle family for six generations, since 1883. Made from 100% Savagnin, farmed and vinified sustainably on a limestone subsoil with a predominance of blue, gray, and red marl, the ‘sous voile’ aging is the secret of this extraordinary Vin Jaune. The wine spends a minimum of 75 months (over 6 years!) in barrels where a liter of liquid will be reduced, via evaporation, to a mere 620ml, thus the size and shape of the classic Vin Jaune bottle called a Clavelin. In the space that the evaporated wine occupied, a voile or veil of wispy yeast form, creating both a tangy oxidative flavor as well as inoculating the wine against further oxidation. It takes on a deep, yellow color, with intense aromas of nuts, curry and ginger spices, as well as rose petal and citrus peel. Pairs exceptionally well with escargots, creamy dishes with morels, exotic cuisines,