Anne et Jean-François Ganevat Champs Poids Chardonnay 2016 Magnum

Grape: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2016
Type: White

This dry white wine comes from Champs Poids, a parcel of old chardonnay vines at La Combe de Rotalier in the southern Jura. The vines sit in gray marl, a soil that pushes the grape toward salt and tension rather than weight. Fermentation runs with no added SO2, and the wine then rests 24 months on its fine lees before bottling at 12.5%. It is a long, unprotected élevage in magnum, and it leaves the soil doing most of the talking.

It displays a pale gold color, opening with aromas of lemon peel, green apple skin, and crushed white flowers. On the palate, the medium-bodied frame runs dry and narrow, balancing lemon pith and unripe pear against a saline core. The 24 months on lees register as weight rather than cream, giving the center some grip. A high, cutting acidity holds the wine "vertical" through the mid-palate, with no fat to soften it. It finishes long, mineral, and clean, leaving the mouth dry rather than coated.