2018 Domaine Bornard Chardonnay Les Gaudrettes Second Tirage
WINEMAKER: Tony Bornard
REGION: Jura, FR
VARIETAL: Chardonnay
VITICULTURE: Certified Biodynamic
"Chardonnay from Les Gaudrettes is always a stand-out at our tastings at the Bornard cellar and 2018 is no exception. We will be receiving three releases ‘tirages’ of this vintage, each with slightly different aging regime. This first release was aged entirely in tank, which is a first for this wine. In the past it has always only been aged in wood (as the remaining two releases will be). It is fresh-tasting Chardonnay but still has complexity and a beautiful mouth-feel. It exhibits the same characteristics as his other wines on the finish – long and lingering. and it’s only 11.5% ABV. The different varieties of marl that are found in the Les Gaudrettes vineyard provide a complex minerality to wines made from grapes grown in this location." - Living Wines
Philippe Bornard lives in the village of Pupillin near Arbois and the Swiss border. His vineyards were inherited from his father, who previously sold only to co-ops. It was Pierre Overnoy, another Arbois winemaker, who eventually convinced Philippe to begin to make his own wine, and now, with over 27 years of experience under his belt, he is working with nearly 6 hectares of 30-year old vines, and farms exclusively biodynamically - officially certified in 2012. The grapes are grown at high altitudes, on limestone and clay soils, allowing a slow ripening. Typically the wine begins a long, slow maceration in fiberglass, and then is moved to large older oak barrels for maturation, which lasts about one year. | Big changes have occurred in the Bornard domaine over the past couple of years. Philippe has retired and his talented son Tony has taken over the operation with little fuss and with few observable differences for outsiders. Tony is a meticulous operator both in the vineyard and in the winery. He has a very clear vision about what he wants to achieve and how he is going to achieve it. The winery and many of the vineyards are in the quaint commune of Pupillin which is quite close to Arbois near the Swiss border. Tony is building a new winery in this village so that his father’s house will no longer be given over to the winemaking operations.