in search of a light, refreshing, floral red wine, we split a bottle of this at journeyman. jacques puffeney's jura wines (all from the arbois AOC) are, in my limited experience of them, generally great though often initially inscrutable. where is the alcohol? where is the sweetness? where is the jammy fruit? why's it so sour? if you like jammy, high-alcohol, show-off wines, these are not for you (and, possibly, this blog is not for you either). puffeney's wines repay a slow and contemplative drinking. they often unfold slowly as they warm up and air out; keeping a bottle around for a few days is not a bad idea. they are like the new england of wines.
poulsard is one of the red wine grapes of the jura, thin-skinned and light-bodied. though made "naturally" (native yeasts, minimal sulphur, no fining, no filtering) there is no trace (not the slightest) of funk: this wine was all clarity and transparency. in the glass, a clear pale red with purple lights. plenty of acidity that left the mouth clean, filled with the taste of stone and ripe raspberries, and definitely wanting another sip. and another, and another. some wines taste of cooked fruit; this one was the essence of fresh fruit. the tannins were polite and in the background. light in body but not a lightweight, it more than stood up to seared bluefish, grilled squid, and veal. we fought, politely, over the last pour.
