Francois Rousset first caught the wine bug growing up in Burgundy, where his father was a microbiologist for the Hospices de Beaune. After earning an enology degree and continuing his journey in the Southern Rhone and Languedoc regions, he returned to his Jurassian roots and 2007 officially launched his winery. The 65 years old Chardonnay vines of La Chaux are named after one of the plots in Château Chalon with limestone soils with some stones and marl—lovely complexity with exotic savory notes of ripe pineapple, hazelnuts & jasmine continuing to a lengthy saline finish. Although Françios typically produces ouillé style wines, due to the warmth of the 2018 vintage, he opted not to top up at first, allowing a veil of yeasts to grow for some six months, and then decided to top up. This process allowed savory elements of sesame and ginger to shine here—a really intriguing wine. 

Grape: Chardonnay, 65-year-old vines

Soil: limestone, Gray, white Marl

Farming: Practicing organic 

Pairing: Scallops with citric fruit, Poached Salmon with butter and lemon, grilled cheese, buttered mushrooms