#indofrenchjv

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In 2015 I was asked by an international magazine to write a piece on the fine wines from India. When I told them the price of the most expensive Indian wine was around 25 euros the story idea was dropped. We are still far from producing a fine wine with a price tag of 80 euros or 100 euros a bottle but good news is that we finally have a wine that’s 50 euros a bottle.

J’NOON collection by Fratelli Vineyards is the perfect example of how the exchange of skills and technological know-how can benefit the Indian wine industry.

Thanks to the passion and dream of Kapil Sekhri, proprietor Fratelli Vineyards and, Jean- Charles Boisset, proprietor Boisset Collection, Burgundy, France that we have three extraordinary Indian wines.

Why is J’ NOON special?

It’s a limited edition collection with only 2400 bottles of red, white and sparkling wines.

The grapes are grown, nurtured, handpicked and carefully selected from the Fratelli estate vineyards in Akluj, Maharashtra located in the right bank of the Nira River.

These wines are created personally by the iconic Burgundy and California wine producer Jean-Charles Boisset (JCB) with the Fratelli team at the winery in Akluj.

We tasted the wines at an exclusive launch event organised by Fratelli Vineyards in the presence of Jean-Charles Boisset recently in Mumbai.

Kapil Sekhri, Rojita Tiwari, Jean-Charles Boisset

The Collection 

JCB No 47 – The sparkling wine is dedicated to India’s year of Independence 1947. This 100% Chardonnay Brut is a single-vineyard sparkling wine. The vineyard is located in the sandy soils in Motewadi which gives minerality to the wine. On the nose the aromas of green apple and tropical fruit and on the palate, it has rich complexity, great texture which brings this very close to a vintage champagne-style wine. The wine was barrel fermented in French oak and secondary fermentation was in the bottle following the ‘Methode traditionelle’ with an ageing of 24 months in total. The wine is priced at Rs 3500 (approximately 44 euros) and available at only a select few five-star hotels and just a few retail stores in Mumbai and New Delhi & NCR.

J’NOON WHITE – The white wine is made of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Sauvignon blanc grapes all from the vineyards surrounding the winery in Akluj. It’s certainly hard to believe when you taste this wine. When I asked how is it even possible to produce an Indian white wine which has the distinctive aromas and flavour profile of a Burgundy white wine? Kapil Sekhri replied, “That’s where the expertise of Jean-Charles comes in. Although our vines are young, in India, due to the climatic conditions they age much faster. And controlled yield, fully-monitored production and a constant tasting and analysis of the combination of wines from different barrels have made this possible.” The grapes are sourced from the sandy rocky soils of Garwar which gives the combination of flavours such as green apple, stone fruit and on the palate it has the freshness of a great Chardonnay with lime, white pepper and some herbaceous notes of the Sauvignon Blanc finding a perfect balance somewhere between a great Pouilly-Fuisse and white wines from the Northern Rhone Valley. It was aged for 12 months in French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. The wine is priced at Rs 2500 (approximately 31 euros) and available at only a select few five-star hotels and just a few retail stores in Mumbai and New Delhi & NCR.

J’NOON RED – The red wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (57.5%), Petit Verdot/Marcelan (38.5%) and Sangiovese (4%). The grapes from vineyards in Garwar are co-fermented and aged in French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks for 24 months. While the cabernet sauvignon adds structure and freshness to the wine the other grapes give it a deep purple colour and flavour of black fruit and strong tannins. This wine most certainly has a good structure with a combination of fruit and good tannin. However, it is too young to drink it now. Would certainly need a resting for at least a few months. This wine is priced at Rs 4000 (approximately 50 euros) and available at only a select few five-star hotels and just a few retail stores in Mumbai and New Delhi & NCR.

Special Note: Don’t miss your chance to taste the wines from J’NOON collection if you happen to find a bottle. Or, you can write to us at [email protected] and we might just make it possible for you 🙂