Amélie Guillot Arbois Savagnin 2019

Visiting Amélie Guillot’s micro-winery in the isolated Jura village of Molamboz is quite an experience. Housed in a ramshackle ruin, tastings involve careful navigation through dimly lit rooms strewn with medieval debris. The reward is a roster of classically-styled old vine specialities representing fantastic value.

Amélie relocated from her native Burgundy to Jura in 1995 after completing her oenology studies. She purchased 2ha of 40-year-old vines surrounded by wooded hillsides and apple trees, which are farmed by hand with biodynamic principles.

Aged sous voile (under a veil of flor) for 4 years, her Savagnin 'Vieilles Vignes' is intensely mineral with subtle cumin and fenugreek notes. In the finest vintages she selects her best barrels and ages them for more than 6 years to make Jura’s oxidative speciality Vin Jaune – an intensely nutty, sherry-like ‘yellow wine’. Matched with local Comté or Vacherin it is one of France’s great gastronomic experiences.

Amélie’s Chardonnay 'Vieilles Vignes' is matured in oak for 12 months, combining a generous floral character with bitter herbs and an Alpine freshness. Her Crémant is a textural and toasty blend of Chardonnay and Savagnin, and a steal for a sparkling wine of its quality.

Enticing red berry perfumes are hallmarks of the domaine’s reds. Fresh and delicate, Amélie’s Poulsard 'Vieilles Vignes' shows peppery fruit alongside crunchy tannins. Her Trousseau ‘En Tartot’ balances a floral-fruit character with smoky minerality, while the Trousseau ‘Vieilles Vignes’ shows added layers of depth from vines planted in 1954.

Despite a following among Jura locals, Amélie remains firmly under-the-radar. Her authentic wines offer affordability in a region that has never been so popular.