Domaine Rolet L’Étoile Chardonnay 2015

Gracious and silky smooth, the 2015 Domaine Rolet L’Étoile Chardonnay possesses all the quality of the finest Chablis and a cachet all its own. A pale yellow glow alights the wine, while soft scents of apple and pear imbued with the patina of the finest wood greet the nose. In the mouth, the mature 2015 Domaine Rolet L’Étoile Chardonnay graces the palate with a delightfully smooth mélange of orchard fruits, almond, walnut, and L’Étoile’s mineral-rich terroir. Blessed with elegance and suavity from an extended stay in the finest French oak barrels, the medium-bodied 2015 Domaine Rolet L’Étoile Chardonnay exhibits breed and elegance from start to finish. Enjoy this wine now and often. Serve at 40°-45° F. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2023.

A sophisticated, mature wine such as the 2015 Domaine Rolet L’Étoile Chardonnay deserves to accompany fare of equal stature. Roast Chicken Jura style, whose ingredients include Vin Jaune, walnut oil, Morel mushrooms, and plenty of butter and cream, provides a truly delightful accompaniment. Sautéed scallops in a rich cream sauce with roasted walnuts earns high marks, too. Grilled salmon over a bed of creamy fennel makes another splendid companion as will most seafood dishes. Thick French Onion Soup served with Jura’s flavorful Comté cheese and plenty of crusty French bread, a perennial favorite, deserves accolades, too. Bon Appétit!

Founded in 1942 by Désiré Rolet on the steep foothills of the Jura Mountains in eastern France, Domaine Rolet is now owned and run by the Flambert, Dupuis, and Devillard families with great precision and meticulous care. They have brought this esteemed property to its present eminent position among the finest estates of the entire Jura.

Located in the tiny village of L’Étoile, Domaine Rolet specializes in the production of the Jura’s traditional grape varieties: Chardonnay, Poulsard, Savagnin, Trousseau, and Pinot Noir. The domaine has always farmed sustainably and is now in the process of being certified organic. We invite you to enjoy the special wines of Domaine Rolet from L’Étoile, one of France’s smallest appellations.

L'Étoile is a tiny appellation in the Jura region of eastern France. Its miniscule production emanates from a mere 185 acres from vineyards surrounding the equally diminutive villages of Plainoiseau, Quintigny, Saint-Didier and L'Étoile: the latter lending its name to the appellation. Production is specialized and of high quality, and needless to say quite small, further adding to its appeal. Although L'Étoile wine rarely travels outside of France, it enjoys a well-deserved international reputation.

L'Étoile, meaning ‘star’ in French, could very well refer to the appellation’s emblematic wines, but some sources suggest that the name refers to the star shaped fossils that comprise much of the appellation’s limestone-rich soils. Another theory is that the five hills that surround the village appear to form five points of a star. Whatever the wine’s eponymous origin, the wines of L’Étoile aptly speak for themselves. Grown in mineral-rich soils of ancient sea beds, L’Étoile enjoys considerable renown for the appellation’s superb Chardonnay, which is often compared to the top wines of Chablis. L’Étoile also fashions excellent Vin Jaune, the Jura’s quintessential white wine from the local Savignin variety. L’Étoile also cultivates Poulsard, a red variety, but only the white wines of L’Étoile are entitled to Appellation Control (AOC) status.