La Fée Jaune Absinthe is a barrel-aged released spirit by the Francois Guy distillery. It is a very smooth Absinthe with delicate wine and oak notes, as it matured in French "yellow" wine casks from the Jura region. This wine is made exclusively from the white Savagnin grape variety. The taste of Vin Jaune is reminiscent of sherry, to which it is often compared, but unlike sherry, it is not fortified with neutral alcohol.
How to drink La Fée Jaune: You serve La Fée Jaune with only a little bit of cold water (1:1 ratio Absinthe to water).
Absinthe with Vin Jaune
Vin Jaune, which means “yellow wine” in French, is a wine specialty from the Jura wine-growing region and is sold in a characteristic bottle. The oldest vineyards are located near the French municipality of Château-Chalon. After fermentation of the must, the wine must mature for at least six years and three months in a barrique barrel. During this time, up to 40% of the wine evaporates. This long ageing process also explains the high price of the wine, which is usually around 30 Euros per bottle. After bottling, the wine can be kept for a very long time; storage periods of 40 to 50 years are common.
Vin Jaune is produced under the following appellations (protected designations of origin): Côtes du Jura, Arbois, L'Étoile and Château-Chalon. The Château-Chalon appellation covers only around 50 hectares, spread over the five neighboring communes of Château-Chalon, Voiteur, Menétru-le-Vignoble, Nevy-sur-Seille and Domblans. From a culinary point of view, Vin Jaune goes perfectly with Jura cheeses, especially Comté, or generally with a good cheese buffet and hearty dishes.
Francois Guy Absinthe distillery
We write the year 1890 when Armand Guy, aged 20, began to pursue his Absinthe career. His first strategic move was to locate his distillery at Rue des Lavaux. At this place an underground water source was located, which he used for the distillation of his fine spirits. The first customers were as well planned: Close by, the French Army had a military camp. With its constant waves of soldiers and its constant demand for alcoholic spirits the camp was a major factor for his business success.
It also helped to introduce the Armand Guy Absinthe to the rest of France and the Colonies. Overall, Armand Guy really benefited from the golden years of Absinthe. Pontarlier became a major Absinthe hub, so big, that at the end of the 19th century no fewer than 23 distilleries were located in this small town. Pontarlier only had a population of 10,000–3,000 were employed in the distillation of Absinthe. This of course changed with Absinthe prohibition taking place in 1915. But now, 100 years later, the 4th generation, François Guy (1964), successfully revives the Absinthe tradition which his great-grandfather created.
