Chardonnay “Terra du Lias” Domaine de la Borde, Julien Mareschal, Arbois 2022

DOMAINE DE LA BORDE, JULIEN MARESCHAL, Arbois

Julien Mareschal is one of the only people to make wine in the Côte de Caillot, right outside of Pupillin. He works organically and has been in conversion to biodynamics since 2012. Each of his wines has a vineyard name. Proportionately, he has a lot of Savagnin, almost 50% of his vineyard holdings, grown on grey marls. His Savagnin called Foudre a Canon is ouille, fermented in foudres and bottled a little more than a year later. The Ploussard La Feule is made without any sulphur added at all; the other wines receive a small dose just at bottling. The Chardonnay is from a plot of 25 hectares of 35-year-old vines planted in Bajocian limestone on the top of steep slopes at 450m in elevation. Julien crafts serious Chardonnay in the ouille style, showcasing the true terroir of the site. The wine ferments naturally with indigenous yeasts and is raised in old, 1200L barrels.

The “Terre du Lias” Chardonnay from Pupillin. is grown on a steep 20-degree southwest facing slope of clay-limestone on gray marl. Entirely hand-harvested. Half destemmed, half whole-cluster. Fermentation without sulphites and only with indigenous yeasts in 600 liter barrels of 3 to 5 vintages-used. Aged in 600 liter barrels on the lees for 12 months.

Herb-tinged aromas of apricot, vineyard peach and acacia honey, complicated by discreet spices. Juicy on the palate, showing a vibrant if somewhat austere acid structure. This unctuous yet youthfully closed wine shows impressively persistent flavors of sweet, ripe stone fruits.

Grape: 100% Chardonnay

Biodynamic