Wine Jean Bourdy Château Chalon 1985 - 62cl

One day Napoleon said to the Prince of Metternich: "You really serve the best wine in the world here [Johannisberg]!”. Reacting to this comment, the prince stated that "the best wine in the world doesn't come from here on the Johannisberg [Johannes mountain], but rather from a small town in your kingdom named Château Chalon.”

1985: January is characterized by a cold front: on the 1st of January it was -3° Celsius and there was a bit of snow. But the snow kept coming: 20 cm fell on the 3rd and 4th, when it reached -10°. Temperatures of -18°, -19°, and -20° degrees followed. The afternoons were a bit warmer on average, but the thermometer never rose above -10°. At the end of January, the dance between thawing and freezing began, when the temperature hovered between 0° and -6° degrees Celsius. A completely normal February followed, not especially beautiful, but not especially harsh either. On the 20th of February the temperature sunk to -12° Celsius, and two days later the frost was just a distant memory. Plenty of fog hovered throughout March, which one reminds one of the old farmers' saying: 'Fog in March leads to Frost in May'. These conditions are fatal for every fruit that begins with a flowering phase. March ended the way it began: cold, windy, and humid – none of these conditions being optimal for grape growing.

On the 9th of April it hailed, and otherwise the grapes are about a month behind their typical stage of development for April. It snowed from the 12th of April until the 20th, and remained considerably cold for the time of year. The disastrous hail storms in 1984 and the hard winter are easily observable by the vines' poor condition. On the 30th of April it freezes once again, and the vines are still considerably behind their normal development. The 30th of June is the first day when summer temperatures arrive. July begins with pleasantly warm temperatures and on the 10th of July the vines that have been spared by the unbearable winter and spring frosts are looking quite good. A severe storm follows on the 15th of July, followed by heavy rain. Then the heat returns, and each day is getting warmer. The following August is cold and rainy but also sunny, and the last grapes are finally allowed to ripen. Wonderful weather ensues from the end of August until the beginning of September – on September 2nd it is still 30° Celsius.

Nobody in the Bourdy domain can remember such a hot September as this one – not even the oldest members of the community. On the 1st of October, the harvest begins under the shining sun. On October 16th Château Chalon's vines are harvested, in continuously nice weather. The yearly crop contains 14 hectoliter registering 14° on the Oechsle scale. Regardless of the late budding due to the ice-cold winter, this year's vintage developed a magical bouquet thanks to the warm summer.

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.