Wine Jean Bourdy Château Chalon 1943 - 62cl

Caves Bourdy are the oldest producer in the region, with a direct family line going back to the 16th century. Their cellars contain the oldest collection of vintage Château Chalon and Cotes du Jura in existence, with some wines going back to the 19th and even 18th century.

We work exclusively with Jean-Francois Bourdy to occasionally make limited numbers of these irreplaceable old vintages available to discerning collectors. All wines come direct from Bourdy's cellar to our own, and so are in perfect mint condition.

1943: January is very mild, but a dry spell follows in the first half of February. Until the 1st of August the weather actually remains optimal for grape growth: after a few warm and sunny days a rain shower consistently follows. The expectation for the harvest and the quality of the wine from this year is exceptionally high. The short February draught brings lots of odium (a fungus that multiples through spore forming) and the heat wave in June, July and August lead to a large infestation of downy mildew. During the war, there is only a limited amount of sulfite available, which leads to difficulties in fighting the down mildew population.

On the 1st of August the grapes begin to ripen. And since 1893 there hasn't been such heat: from the middle to the end of August the thermometer occasionally registers a remarkable 53° Celsius! The vines, under stress from the extended draught, were finally relieved of their struggle during the night of 22 August when it began to rain. It continued raining for the entire next day. The thin vines were able to stand the heat better than the thick ones: many of them are burnt and dried out. In general, the damage done to the Savagnin grapes is worse than the Chardonnay grapes, for eample. From the 15th of September on wards it rains regularly, which leads to a beautiful ripeness and fat grapes.

When the harvesting should begin on the 27th of September, the ripening has not completely finished and so it is decided to wait another week. On the 23rd of October a beautiful Château Chalon is harvested, registering 15,3° on the Oechsle scale. An excellent vintage with an above-average harvest!

Firstly, the wine should be opened three to four hours before it is to be consumed, in order to let its diver range of flavors awaken. French connoisseurs recommend decanting the wine as well. It's also important to know that vin jaune should be consumed warmer than a typical white wine. It is best served at between 15° and 17° Celsius and therefore just a bit under room temperature.

With which dishes should I serve Vin Jaune?

Trout, poultry, smoked fish (like haddock for example) with an accompanying cream sauce, are all wonderfully complimented by Château Chalon. This rare wine is also uniquely suited to complimented Asian or Oriental dishes that contain curry spices. Jean Bourdy recommends consuming Château Chalon with foie gras, scallops, and lobster.

We also recommend, however, that you enjoy this special wine on its own – accompanied by some Comté cheese and a few walnuts – in order to let the unique aromas affect you. If you don't have Comté cheese available to you, good substitutes are Gruyère, an old Gouda cheese, or another old, Dutch hard cheese.