We opened a bottle of Fruitiere Vinicole d'Arbois Trousseau Rouge 1996 to go with our shoulder of lamb for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately the wine was past its best and was very nearly oxidised; it had a smell of sherry. We didn't pour the wine away as it added some flavour to our roast lamb which was sourced from a Kent farmer's market.
Luckily, I guessed that the wine might be past its best and I had a bottle of red Bordeaux in reserve -2010 Chateau Peybonhomme Les Tours which is a Cru Bourgois wine from Blaye. It was absolutely superb and it will keep for several years longer.
http://winejaw.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/world-cup-wine-brazilian-merlot.html.
The Bordeaux went very well with the lamb so our Christmas dinner was rescued.
I was expecting the Arbois to keep longer. The wine was a present. Arbois wines are produced in the Jura mountains in the east of France. The Trousseau black grape is limited to the region.
The Jura is most famous for its Vin de Paille which is a sweet white wine produced from grapes which have been allowed to dry out on straw mats. The process of drying the grapes increases the concentration of sugar in the berries.
The region is also famous for its Vin Jaune which is a dry white wine which has been exposed to a film of yeast sometimes called "Voile" growing on the surface of the wine sherry style. The film of yeast or "Flor" as it is called in Spain adds complexity to the taste as a result of oxidation. Vin Jaune tastes similar to Fino sherry but it is not fortified; it is produced from the white Savagnin grape.
http://www.chateau-bethanie.fr/fruitiere-vinicole-arbois-wines-of-jura-en/wine-of-jura-fruitiere-vinicole-arbois-chateau-bethanie-wines-of-jura.php.
We have a bottle of Arbois white wine made from the Savagnin grape from the 1996 vintage. I think that we had better open it and drink it soon; just in case.
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