Croix & Courbet Côtes du Jura En Beaumont Savagnin Ouillé 2022

Limited. This is our second allocation of En Beaumont, a highly regarded lieu-dit of Château-Chalon. The vineyard is farmed by Courbet himself and is currently in organic conversion. The Savagnin vines were planted in 1962, 1985 and 1991 and are rooted in gently sloping clay and limestone scree (60-80 cm deep) over blue and grey marl. Courbet believes the chalky soils of En Beaumont—carved from the dramatic cliffs that surround the village—respond best to barrel maturation, so this cuvée is raised in large oak for 12 months before a further six months in tank. Again, there is no sulphur addition until bottling. The wine is labelled Côtes du Jura as the Chateau-Chalon AOC is only for Vin Jaune.

The 2022 En Beaumont is, as they might say in Burgundy, this year’s ‘queen of the cellar’. It’s an elegant and enchanting wine of limpid, stone-sculpted texture seasoned with a weave of chalk, savoury spice, citrus and stone fruit. It finishes gloriously long and dew-fresh, with a spun-out salt-flecked close. This is first-class winemaking from David Croix and Damien Courbet. At the table, this could work with anything that can be matched with great white Burgundy (even if it has its own unique persona). Again, it’s a wine that enjoys a decant at this early stage.