Appellation
Côtes du Jura
Identity card
RegionalAOPWhiteRedRoséSweet
Jura · Recognised on 31 July 1937
Key points
- The regional appellation: whites, reds, rosés, vin jaune and vin de paille.
- Its area includes the communes of Arbois, Château-Chalon and L'Étoile.
- Its main wine is dry white, mostly from Chardonnay and Savagnin.
Grape varieties
White
Accessory varieties: Pinot Noir, Poulsard, Trousseau
"Vin jaune": Savagnin (Enfariné, Gringet allowed under agreement)
Never from accessory varieties alone; principal ones form the majority
RedRosé
Accessory varieties: Chardonnay, Savagnin
Never from accessory varieties alone; principal ones form the majority
Sweet
Allowed varieties
ChardonnayPoulsardSavagninTrousseau
"Vin de paille": grapes dried for at least six weeks, unheated
Production rules
60
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
5,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: Vin jaune: at least 6 years in cask, never topped up, 60+ months under flor
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 129 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 14 % ABV across 79 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 136 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: A broken strip 80 km long, at 300–450 m
- Soils: Marls, clays and limestone scree below the plateau
- Climate: Cool oceanic with continental influences; over 1,000 mm
Wine style
- White
- Gunflint
- freshness
- fruity
- vin jaune: walnut, spice
- Red
- Rosé
- light ruby (Poulsard)
- red fruit (Pinot Noir)
- more tannic (Trousseau)
- often forest floor with age
- Sweet
- Prune
- Candied orange
- Honey
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
20 September 2022
Arrêté du 20 septembre 2022 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine protégée « Côtes du Jura » (JORF n°0223 du 25 septembre 2022, texte n°16 ; référence AGRT2222482A ; publié au Bulletin officiel du ministère de l'agriculture le 29 septembre 2022). Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 31 juillet 1937.
Labelling terms
- "Vin jaune": Savagnin aged under flor, in the 62 cl clavelin
- "Vin de paille": a sweet wine; the vintage must be on the label
- A registered lieu-dit may appear, in letters at most half as large
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine protégée « Côtes du Jura »— INAO / Ministère de l'agriculture (Bulletin officiel)
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Reference bookWine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavours— Allen Lane / Ecco (HarperCollins)
- Trade bodyLe mystérieux vin jaune— Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins du Jura (CIVJ), site officiel des vins du Jura
The Jura vineyard's regional appellation, recognised by the decree of 31 July 1937, which runs in a discontinuous band 80 kilometres long; its geographical area also takes in the communes of Arbois, Château-Chalon and L'Étoile. It covers white, red and rosé wines and both complementary mentions, "vin jaune" and "vin de paille", on the same encépagement as the rest of the Jura: Chardonnay and Savagnin for white, Pinot Noir, Poulsard and Trousseau for red and rosé.
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