Château-Chalon

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Château-Chalon wines

Château-Chalon is a wonderful Jura wine. Protected by an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) since 1936, this world-renowned yellow wine is produced on some 60 hectares of steep vineyards.

It covers four communes in the Jura department: Château-Chalon, Domblans, Menetru-le-Vignoble and Nevy-sur-Seille.

It is distinguished by its richness and generosity, its beautiful golden color that turns amber with age, and its exceptional ageing potential. Production of this precious wine dates back to the Middle Ages, and today it is subject to strict controls and monitoring.

Château-Chalon, a village and a terroir

The village, ranked among the most beautiful in France, is the original birthplace of the famous Vin Jaune. Perched on the edge of a cliff, it dominates the steep slopes of the vineyards, protecting them from the north and east winds. The first grape varieties were planted in the 7th century by the Benedictine nuns of a now-defunct abbey.

The greatness of Château-Chalon wines owes much to the nature of the soil in which the vines thrive, made of Lias marl (the famous blue marl) mixed with pebbles from the cliff scree. Château-Chalon's vineyards are spread over 50 hectares and lie on deep blue Lias marl overlaid with limestone scree. The vines are often planted on steep slopes protected by limestone cliffs. The climate is semi-continental, with marked seasons and harsh winters.

Facing south/southwest, the slopes benefit from maximum sunshine, providing long-lasting warmth that is preserved by this type of soil. The Château-Chalon appellation covers 4 communes (Nevy-sur-Seille, Ménétru-le-Vignoble, Domblans and Château-Chalon) and produces around 35 hectolitres per hectare.

Château-Chalon is a yellow wine made exclusively from the Savagnin grape variety. The Château-Chalon appellation produces wines of excellence, very rich and powerful, with a golden color and a long ageing potential of up to several centuries. This is truly a quality vineyard, with even more stringent controls than the others. For example, since 1958, an AOC Château-Chalon wine control commission has visited the vines every year just before harvest to check that the grapes have all the qualities required to produce a yellow wine worthy of its reputation.

Château-Chalon white wine

The "King of wines and wine of kings" can be tasted. To the eye, it is a deep golden color, evolving to amber with age. On the nose, it offers a marked scent of walnut, nuanced with almond and hazelnut, with a refreshing note of green apple.

The palate is harmonious and generous, perfectly balanced with delicate aromas of spices [curry, tobacco, wheat] and dried fruit [hazelnuts] tempered by a mineral note, all enveloping the traditional walnut of Jura wines. The attack is powerful and the experience leaves a beautiful fullness in the mouth.

How to drink Château-Chalon

This magnificent wine, elegant and full of personality, stands out for its power. Rich and generous, it remains dry and lively, with a rather high alcohol content. It should be served at 14° and aired for a few hours before drinking. It goes perfectly with white meats, with cream or curry sauce, morel mushrooms... and fish with character [haddock, American-style lobster]. It is also a natural accompaniment to Comté cheese. For dessert, it's perfect with chocolate walnut cake.

The vinification of an exceptional wine

Château-Chalon white wine is ranked among the top five in the world. Remarkable not only for its organoleptic qualities, but also for the way it is vinified. After fermentation, it is aged for a minimum of six years and three months, five of which are spent in oak barrels. It is not racked or topped up, and remains in contact with the air. A veil of yeast forms to protect it and give it its distinctive yellow wine taste. The bottle [le clavelin] is 62 cl, as Château-Chalon's "angels' share" [evaporation during vinification] would be 38 cl/l of grape juice. A wine of excellence and remarkable ageing potential, it retains its qualities for decades, and sometimes even longer.

One of its producers, Jean Macle, is particularly well known for his dedication to the revival of Jura viticulture and the preservation of these exceptional wines. For example, he was instrumental in setting up a "ban des vendanges" committee which, together with the INAO, analyses each vineyard parcel individually. Defects in health or acidity, or excessive yields, result in the downgrading of all or part of the harvest, thus guaranteeing the quality of the vintage.

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Discover our selection of the best wine producers in Château-Chalon

Domaine Badoz

Domaine Berthet-Bondet

Domaine Grand

Domaine Jean Macle

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Our latest sales of Château-Chalon wines

Domaine Badoz - Château-Chalon 2017

Château-Chalon|White wine

savagnin

lobster

under sail

"A magnificent cuvée with great aromatic complexity and balance".

Aged for 6 years and 3 months, Domaine Badoz Château-Chalon has an intense nose, with notes of walnut, green apple and spices. Suave and unctuous, the palate is also ample and harmonious.

Domaine Grand - Château-Chalon Vin Jaune En Beaumont 2017

Château-Chalon|White wine

93/100 RVF

(2014 vintage notes)

savagnin

Bresse chicken with morels

treasure

"All the elegance and delicacy of Château-Chalon".

Château-Chalon En Beaumont 2017 presents a beautiful golden yellow color, with a nose of nuts, dried fruit and peat. Elegant and delicate on the palate, with a peaty structure. Ideal with a Bresse chicken with morels, it will also be perfect with a very good Comté...

Domaine Grand - Château-Chalon Vin Jaune En Beaumont 2017

Berthet-Bondet - Château-Chalon Vin Jaune 2016

Château-Chalon|White wine|Organic

4.8/5 (4 reviews)

95/100 Coup de Cœur RVF

savagnin

cheeses

under sail

reference

"A great vintage!"

"After a 2015 that was perhaps more hedonistic than usual, the 2016 Château-Chalon stands out as a brilliant archetype, sharp without harshness, triumphing not in power but in persuasiveness and depth of taste." (Le Guide RVF 2025)

Berthet-Bondet - Château-Chalon Vin Jaune 2016

Domaine Jean Macle - Château-Chalon 2015

Château-Chalon|White wine

98/100 Robert Parker

savagnin

delicate

Bresse chicken with morels

model of success

"A beautifully crafted Château-Chalon!

"[...] The 2015 Château Chalon is rounder and softer than the 2013; they harvested healthy grapes and everything was straightforward. It can of course be enjoyed now, but it's better to keep the bottles (they say six years in barrel plus six years in bottle to consider drinking it...), and it will keep for a long, long time. Only 4,000 bottles produced. Since 2011, all harvests have been quite low, so there are very few bottles..." (Wine Advocate 2023). - Attention, very limited quantities!

Domaine Jean Macle - Château-Chalon 2015

Domaine Jean Macle - Château Chalon Vin Jaune 2011

Château-Chalon|White wine

18,5/20 RVF

98-99/100 Robert Parker

"Impressive density, persistence and good tension distinguish this château-chalon." (Le Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France 2020 - RVF) A wine of great eloquence for this exceptional Vin Jaune!

Domaine Jean Macle - Château Chalon Vin Jaune 2011

Berthet-Bondet - Château Chalon 2010

Château-Chalon|White wine

4.2/5 (11 reviews)

18/20 RVF

16,5/20 Bettane & Desseauve

93/100 Gilbert & Gaillard

2*Étoiles Hachette

(2009 vintage notes)

Aged under sail for a minimum of 6 years, Domaine Berthet-Bondet's Château Chalon is a benchmark for the appellation. Its notes of walnut and undergrowth are perfectly matched by a refined, remarkably well-balanced palate. A great cuvée!

Domaine Jean Macle - Château-Chalon 2003

Château-Chalon|White wine

4/5 (2 reviews)

Note: RVF 18/20, Bettane & Desseauve 18/20
"A well-born Château-Chalon, already easy to approach young with its full, fat character, less lively than the 2002 but with the same phenomenal length. It can be drunk young but will age admirably". (Le Grand Guide des Vins de France 2011 - Bettane & Desseauve)

Domaine Jean Macle - Château-Chalon 2003

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