Domaine Jean Macle - Château Chalon Vin Jaune 2011

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

About to be bottled when I tasted it, Château Chalon 2011 has a smoky, flinty, subtle and elegant whisky character. 2011 was a cool year with good weather during harvest, delivering healthy grapes and a good crop that produced quality and quantity. Macle compared it to 2008, a year with good acidity, but 2011 is probably a little rounder. The wine is balanced and mineral. A second barrel had a stronger yeast character, with more bread dough aromas, a little peaty and a little more powerful on the palate. This should make a great bottle of Château Chalon; it's quite classic and has a long life ahead of it in bottle. There are 8,000 bottles, packaged in two different batches.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

Impressive density, persistence and good tension distinguish this château-chalon.

About the domain :

An eminent figure in the Jura vineyards, Jean Macle passed away this winter. Tasting a Château-Chalon from the estate that bears his name is more than ever a moment of particular intensity. A true "jaune", straightforward, pointed, harmonious and digestible, whose complexity is not only due to its ageing under yeast veil. Now in the hands of Laurent Macle, this estate has come through the vintages with such consistency and identity that it commands unanimous respect. Founded in 1850, it boasts some of the steepest terroirs in the area, with gradients of up to 50%. The decision to plant vines on land that at one time no one wanted to venture onto underscores the determination and passion of this winegrowing family, which has become consubstantial with the Château-Chalon vineyard.