Regular readers of this space know that I lost a close friend close to two years ago. I have written about his impact on me in general and his incredible influence on my wine journey. There is no denying that he was a major force in my life (and in the lives of many others), but this post is not so much about all of that.

This post is instead about the powerful, unique ability of wine to bring people together, to stoke the imagination, to cause one to reflect. That was the case not too long ago when a few of my wine drinking buddies were over and we were searching for one more bottle near the end of the night.

As is often the case in such instances (they happen perhaps too often around here), I wanted to pull something “interesting”, a bottle that might stretch their definition of what wine is, a wine that would cause us to reflect both individually and collectively about our place in the world.

I know that sounds a bit grandiose but it also lends itself to interpretation; “Reflect” can have many definitions. I selected a bottle of 2002 Vin Jaune from the Jura for several reasons. First, its age. At just past twenty years old, it represented a time before any of us had known each other and for me, a time before I had children.

Second, it was from a region that not many people know all that much about as it is a tiny appellation in a region of France that not many people (particularly Americans) ever visit. And third, the wine itself is rather unusual. The grape, Savagnin, is virtually unheard of outside of the Jura and Vin Jaune? Let’s just say it is “peculiar” and certainly an acquired taste.

In short, the grapes are harvested in late October, crushed, fermented, and placed into barrels which are not topped off (in most wine production, barrels are almost always continually refilled during the aging process to account for evaporated wine and to keep air contact to an absolute minimum). After a couple of years, a yeast film (called une voile or “veil”) develops to somewhat limit further oxidation. A few more years in the barrel and then it is bottled to be sold.

Given all of the contact with oxygen, the wine is pretty hearty, it can age forever, but it is also unlike most wine anywhere in the world (it is not dissimilar to sherry, but Vin Jaune is not fortified). And it is certainly “odd”.

Well, on the given night, it provoked all kinds of discussion from politics to geography to history and of course, wine and wine making. Once everybody left, I sat down with the remnants of the wine to write the following note. By the end, I was amazed what a “simple” beverage was able to create over the course of just a few hours.

I am not sure if my drinking buddies were as amazed at the power of wine, but it is clearly why I write about it.

2002 Domaine Rolet Arbois Vin Jaune, Jura, France: Retail $50? 100% Savagnin. This is one of those bottles. One of the bottles that I “inherited” when a dear friend passed away almost two years ago. He was, at various times, my boss, my wine mentor, an “uncle” to my children, a friend, and. essentially, a brother. He died unexpectedly, leaving behind a wife, two daughters, and a full cellar. His widow urged me to pull a few bottles since she no longer cared for wine, and this is one that I felt he would want me to have. He loved wines from the Jura, particularly from Rolet, a man he knew well, or as well as anyone “knows” a winemaker. I met Monsieur Rolet only once, in New York as chance would have it, a few years before both of their deaths and once I mentioned my friend’s name, Monsieur Rolet’s face lit up. And we became instant friends. Our interaction was brief, but I promised M. Rolet that my friend and I would visit him in Arbois, pull a few corks, and have a grand feast. Alas, M. Rolet had died within six months of our meeting and my friend was not too far behind. I now have a half-dozen or so wines from the Domaine, but obviously, I would trade them all back, 1,000,000 times over to have that feast that we discussed. Not for the meal, the wine, or even the camaraderie (although it would be an epic feast, for sure), but for the chance to tell my dear friend goodbye and to thank him for the profound impact that he has had on my life. Even though my eyes are moist, clouded with memories and sadness, I feel the need, even obligation to add a few notes about the wine. Vin Jaune is not for everyone. In fact, it is not for practically anyone as it is oxidized, nutty (intense walnut), practically devoid of fruit (at least in the traditional sense), and has no obvious pairing. But. It. Is. Delicious. As mentioned, golden, nutty, rich, lengthy, holy cow and bless the mother of Jesus, this is incredible. Hand to God, the aromas, the taste, the vibe make me harken back to all those late nights sharing bottles with my friend, with his wife laughing and shaking her head at our inane commentary and their girls running about, jumping on my lap giving me a hug, and making me wish that the moment would never end. Extraordinary. 97 Points.