Bénédicte and Stéphane TISSOT - Rose Massale - Chardonnay 2024
In Montigny-lès-Arsures, near Arbois, Bénédicte and Stéphane Tissot have built one of the major signatures of contemporary Jura. The family estate, managed with rare exactingness, explores the full diversity of Jura soils through a mosaic of precise, lively cuvées deeply rooted in their origin. Biodynamics, careful observation of terroirs, and rejection of technical recipes give the wines a recognizable energy, made of maturity, tension, and mineral vibration. Rose Massale holds a unique place in this collection, as this cuvée highlights a Rose Chardonnay, an ancient variation of Chardonnay with slightly pink berries. Stéphane Tissot propagated it from a massal selection of only 40 vines, giving the wine a rare and very personal identity. The 2024 vintage continues this search for originality with a dry, aromatic, ample white, but always carried by Jura freshness. It is a cuvée of character, both expressive and serious, showing how Chardonnay can take unexpected and deeply gastronomic forms in Jura.
This cuvée is made from 100% Rose Chardonnay, an old variety with pink skin propagated by massal selection. The vines are spread over several emblematic plots of the estate, notably La Mailloche, Les Bruyères, Curon, Valière, Sauvigny, and Les Corvées sous Curon. The whole represents about two acres, just under one hectare, on soils mainly composed of limestone and clay, with a ratio of about 60% limestone and 40% clay. This combination explains the fleshy, aromatic, and taut character of Rose Massale, more expressive than a classic Chardonnay but without losing the terroir's uprightness. The cuvée is worked biodynamically, in the spirit of the estate, with natural vinification and fermentations conducted by indigenous yeasts. Available information indicates aging in oak barrels, in a topped-up style, preserving fruit purity and avoiding any marked oxidative expression. In 2024, the wine has 14.5% alcohol, with a balance carried more by a fine bitterness than by sharp acidity, giving it a powerful, tasty, and elegant appearance.
The color presents a bright golden yellow, with an intensity that announces a ripe and fully formed Chardonnay. The nose evokes white flowers, ripe pear, yellow peach, stone fruits, then nuances of almond, toasted hazelnut, fine butter, and warm stone. On the palate, Rose Massale 2024 has a broad, dense, almost sunny body, but held by an internal energy that avoids any heaviness. The balance is built on a tasty texture, noble bitterness, and a dry, long, slightly saline finish. The wine retains true freshness despite its maturity, with a sense of depth reminiscent of great Jura white table wines. The finish extends yellow fruits, ripe citrus, fine bitters, and a limestone note that elegantly tightens the whole. This cuvée will pair very well with almond trout, pike quenelles with Nantua sauce, poached skate wing, creamy poultry, cauliflower gratin, monkfish waterzoï, or aged Comté. Served around 11 to 13°C, in a fairly large glass, it will benefit from being waited two or three years to reveal all its complexity.
Grape variety: 100% Rose Chardonnay
