2019 Domaine de la Touraize Arbois Sur la Côte
WINEMAKER: André-Jean Morin
REGION: Jura, FR
VARIETAL: Pinot Noir
VITICULTURE: Organic
Pinot Noir from the Sur la Côte lieu-dit. 20-40 year old vines grown on grey marl and clay/loam soils. 1/3 of the grapes are de-stemmed by hand, and the other 2/3 are whole bunch. The grapes undergo carbonic maceration for 2 weeks in tank. Aged in tank for 9 months. Not fined or filtered. 1mg/L SO2 before bottling.
"Quite light in colour. Lighter fruits, and the youthfulness has integrated now. Highly perfumed, with raspberries, roses, raw meat and a touch of ozone. Light and slippery in the mouth. Sweet, lithe fruit, with a super fine grainy tannins. Elegant, pretty and fine boned. The feeling of lifted fruit perfume lasts in the mouth. Serve chilled."
Since 2010, A-J and Héléana have slowly converted all the vineyards to organic (completed in 2017, and they will obtain certification in 2019), and in Autumn of 2017, they also began experimenting with biodynamics, and are now currently in conversion as well. In the cellar A-J works with indigenous yeasts and without additives - with the exception of a small amount of sulfites. Élevage is either in stainless steel, old barriques of various sizes, or extremely old large Alsatian foudre (some over 100 years old). A-J is meticulously clean in the cellar, and this shows in the wines – they are of extremely high calibre, faultless, and can stay open for days without any issue. They are pure wines that truly express their terroir, and for me are some of the best wines coming out of the Jura.