The most elegant of Michel Gahier’s whites55-year-old Melon Queue Rouge vines (Chardonnay by another name) planted circa 1965 on the blue marls of Montigny-ls-Arsures. Raised ‘sous voile’ in 400-liter barrels: the thin yeast film develops savory, nutty, saline complexity over two years of aging. For the 2020 vintage, Gahier added zero sulfites, leaving the wine entirely to its own devices. The result is viscerally salty and rich with incredible finessepowerful yet balanced, with cool voile aromatics of saffron and cardamom. In the Jura, ‘Melon d’Arbois’ is simply the local name for Chardonnaynot Melon de Bourgogne (the Muscadet grape).