The character

Savagnin is the distinctive white grape of the Jura, a small wine region in eastern France between Burgundy and Switzerland. The grape produces two radically different styles of wine. As a standard dry white (‘ouillé,’ kept topped up in barrel to prevent oxidation) it makes lemony, herbal, mineral whites with bright acid. As Vin Jaune (kept ungenerated under a layer of flor yeast for six years and three months, similar to Sherry but with no fortification) it makes one of the most distinctive wines on earth — concentrated, nutty, saline, with a flavor and aroma profile that nothing else in wine quite matches.

Where it grows best

Jura, France: Arbois, Château-Chalon (the most prestigious Vin Jaune appellation), L’Étoile, and Côtes du Jura. Savagnin is also the local name for what is genetically Traminer (the parent of Gewürztraminer) — though the Jura Savagnin has developed quite differently after centuries of regional adaptation. Smaller plantings of related grapes in eastern Europe and a tiny amount of Jura-style Savagnin in California.

How it tastes

Ouillé style: lemon, green apple, white flower, herb, wet stone, with a saline finish. Acid is high; alcohol typically 12.5-13.5%. Vin Jaune (aged under flor): walnut, hazelnut, dried apricot, saffron, curry spice, sometimes a salty-savory umami note. Acid remains bright despite the long aging; alcohol typically 13-14%. Bottled in the distinctive clavelin (a 620ml bottle, the volume that remains after evaporation during aging).

How it ages

Ouillé Savagnin from a top producer ages fifteen to twenty-five years. Vin Jaune is one of the most age-worthy wines made — bottles from the 19th century are still drinking well, and top producers’ Château-Chalon ages a hundred years or more. The wines tend to drink well immediately on release and continue to develop slowly for decades.

What to pair with

Ouillé Savagnin: roast chicken, mushroom dishes, pork loin, soft cheeses. Vin Jaune: Comté cheese (the regional textbook pairing — and one of the great wine-and-food matches on earth). Chicken in cream-and-morel sauce (poulet au vin jaune). Foie gras. Curry-spiced dishes. Walnut-based desserts. Vin Jaune is one of the most distinctive food wines in the world.