Domaine Desire Petit Chardonnay Le Grapiot, Arbois 2022

The small wine producing Jura region of eastern France sits between Burgundy and the Swiss border and lately it's been enjoying a well deserved period of prominence with Chardonnay proving to be one of its most successful grape varieties. Indeed, while quite modestly priced this wine bears favourable comparison with many more highly priced Burgundies. They use fruit from 50 year old vines which is fermented and aged in new oak foudres without filtering, racking, or the addition of sulphites. Essentially it's just left to mature in its own time with nature doing the rest. The outcome is wonderfully fresh, precise and tidy and is a great example of a wine where the fruit, minerality and subtle oak all sit in a satisfying harmony.

It makes a perfect aperitif, and for food pairing it's made to go with stuff fresh from the sea - a generous basket of fruits de mer being just the thing.

While Domaine Désiré Petit began quite modestly in 1932 with just 1.5 hectares of vines on the Côte de Feule if you fast forward to today, although not exactly a large-scale operation, the estate has grown to nearly 30 hectares, under the careful stewardship of Damien and Anne-Laure Petit, the third generation at the helm. Despite their size, they offer an impressive array of wines, from Jura classics like Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille to more contemporary Chardonnays. Their Crémant de Jura, rich and floral, is a particular standout. It's a good mix of tradition and modernity, all from a charming family estate in the Jura region of eastern France.