Chardonnay, Grand Curoulet, Arbois, 2020

A wine with terroir oozing from its every pore, tighter and tenser than the En Barbi this is fine and mineral. More austere at first glance, and with an elegant, slender shape, which belies the extract and mineral intensity at play here. As sophisticated and layered as it is, the palate never gets weighed down, the flavours skipping briskly across the palate and culminated in a disarmingly long, seamless finish. Domaine du Pélican purchased this parcel from Jean-Marc Brignot in 2012. Prior to Brignot, it was owned by Robert Aviet, a well-known name in Arbois and amongst Jura wine lovers. Grand Curoulet is one of the very best terroirs of Arbois. It is a North-facing parcel located on the side of a hill that dominates Arbois and the plaine de la Saône. Grand Curoulet is known to be where the first vines of Arbois were planted. The domaine’s holdings of Grand Curoulet total almost 5 hectares (12.5 acres). When they acquired it in 2012, they attempted to salvage its old (60+ years) vines but had to recognise after one vintage that this would not be possible. Hence, they uprooted the parcel almost entirely, and took advantage of this to perform some much-needed drainage restoration work. The recently replanted (2015) Chardonnay vines are located at the top of the parcel. The soil, made of grey marls, gives the wine extra tension and its Jura character. The vendange is lightly crushed before being pressed. In 2020, fermentation and aging took place in foudres and barrels. The cuvée was aged in foudre (65%) and 500L barrels (35%, of which 15% new oak). Vintage 2020 benefited from the vines being one year (or 20%) older.