Côtes du Jura 'L'Étoile' Chardonnay - Nicolas Jacob 2019 Magnum

The estate

Nicolas Jacob is a winemaker from the Jura who first worked as an organic market gardener before turning to viticulture. He earned a BTS in viticulture and oenology through an organic farming program in Montmorot, then trained under two Jura masters: Jean Macle in Château-Chalon and Jean-François Ganevat. In 2015, he embarked on the adventure, acquiring plots in the terroirs of L'Étoile and Voiteur, in the South Revermont. His estate, located in Cesancey, now covers 6 hectares (4.5 ha of white grapes, 1.5 ha of red grapes), planted mainly with Chardonnay and Savagnin, along with Poulsard and Trousseau.

Like his mentor Ganevat, Nicolas Jacob is firmly committed to a natural approach. His vines are grown using organic farming, and his winemaking is as natural as possible: spontaneous fermentation, with no added sulfur or other inputs. He vinifies each plot separately, creating a multitude of micro-cuvées that each express a terroir, a place, and a grape variety. He practices long aging, mindful of the importance of time in revealing the wines' complexity.

Considered one of the rising stars of the Jura, Nicolas Jacob is praised for the precision, depth, finesse, and tension of his wines. His first vintage, 2015, was bottled in 2017, and the estate expanded in 2019 with the acquisition of a winery and several additional plots.