Rusden Rocky Valley Road Trousseau 2024

Dad Joke Alert: Jura gonna fall in love with this Bastardo!

Trousseau is one of the wine world's best-kept secrets. Native to France's tiny Jura region—where it accounts for less than 8% of production—it's rarer than rocking horse poo.

The variety also goes by one of wine's more memorable aliases: Bastardo. In Portugal, where it's widely planted, it's used in everything from elegant table wines to Port and Madeira. Across the border in Galicia, north-west Spain, it's known as Merenzao and is prized for producing beautifully perfumed, silky reds.

Back in France, however, it's called Trousseau—a name thought to derive from an old French word meaning "bundled up", referring to its tightly packed bunches. Its spiritual home is the Jura, nestled between Burgundy and Switzerland, where the cool climate produces fragrant, savoury wines with bright acidity. Here it's often blended with local varieties such as Poulsard, though the finest examples shine on their own.

Australia's relationship with Trousseau has been a little more complicated. Introduced during the 19th century, it spent decades masquerading under names such as Cabernet Gros, Gross Cabernet and even Touriga. It wasn't until a visiting French grape expert identified it correctly in 1976 that growers realised what they actually had. By then, many of the original plantings had already disappeared.

Today, only tiny pockets remain, with small vineyards scattered through Tasmania, Margaret River, the Adelaide Hills, Rutherglen, the Hunter Valley and, most notably, the Barossa Valley. Inspired by both the French and Portuguese styles, Australian winemakers are crafting everything from delicate, floral, Pinot-like reds to richer, darker, spice-laden expressions. Bright acidity, haunting perfume and silky texture unite them all, and they're every bit as delicious served lightly chilled as they are at room temperature.

If you love great Pinot Noir or elegant Grenache, Trousseau deserves a place on your radar.