750ml bottle
13% abv
Light, translucent, vibrant red with bright cherry, cranberry, and pomegranate fruit, lifted herbal notes, sous bois, and a savory mineral finish. Lively, earthy, and delicate.
Joseph Dorbon is one of those singular producers who make the Jura so charming. He’s such a character, an intensely pragmatic and exacting winemaker obsessed with purity and precision. He’s a tiny grower, meticulously, organically farming his three hectares of old vines, plowing by horse (super rare for this part of the world) in the limestone-marl soils near Vadans, just north of Arbois. He produces pristine fruit and makes his wines in a subterranean 16th-century cellar in Arbois.
After 30 years of making incredible wines, Dorbon officially retired. He passed the domain to his nephew, Pierre Laporte, starting with the ’23 vintage. Over the next few years, we’ll see the last expressions of his masterful work, making this 2020 - an outstanding Jura vintage, all the more special.
His Ploussard (or Poulsard – can be spelled either way, and of course Joseph employs the ancient spelling) comes from 60 to 80-year-old vines planted between the 1940s and 1960s. These old vines give the wine an extra layer of complexity. It showcases the grape's uniquely delicate and satiating character. To capture the freshness and purity of the fruit, he makes a deliberate choice: after a native yeast fermentation and super gentle extraction (more of an infusion than a traditional maceration—pump-overs and no pigeage), he ages it for one year entirely in stainless steel. No oak. He’s protecting that stunning vibrancy and high-toned fruit this indigenous red variety is famous for.
The result is this beautiful, pale red that is just so delicious. It’s low in tannin but high in that classic, refreshing acidity. It’s the kind of wine that cleanses your palate much like white wine, leaving you salivating for the next bite of food and the next sip.
It’s a fantastic wine to add to your weekly rotation, but it will be remarkable on your Thanksgiving table. Its acidity will cut through the richness and complement everything from the white meat to the sweet, buttery vegetables. This chillable, charming red is as representative of Joseph Dorbon as it is of his terroir. There is a joie de vivre in this wine and the man who made it, but don’t mistake that for cheap and cheerful. This is highly intentional, built for pleasure, and delivers exactly that!
Joseph Dorbon commenced his work as vigneron in 1996. He works three hectares of vineyards situated in his village of Vadans, six kilometers north of Arbois and across the Route Nationale from the fabled town of Montigny-les-Arsures. The vines are hillside plantings, southeast facing, at approximately 1,000 feet of altitude (322 meters). Dorbon works his vineyards following the best ecological practices and is now on the path to organic classification ("en conversion biologique"). He turns the soil just twice a year, the second time in June with the aid of a horse. Between ploughings, vegetation is largely left to grow between the vineyard rows with the weeding done only underneath and immediately around individual vines.
The vineyards are planted to a mix of Trousseau, Ploussard and Pinot Noir for the reds (30%) and Chardonnay and Savagnin (70% for the whites). All grapes are hand harvested.
The reds are each vinified separately after being destemmed. The alcoholic fermentation and cuvaison lasts for about 15 days. Both the Ploussard and Trousseau are aged for one year in stainless steel while the Pinot Noir rests in 225 liter oak barrels for an eighteen-month period.
The whites are all pressed as grappes entieres. The Chardonnay is fermented in 225 liter barrels and is left in the barrel to age for twenty-four months before bottling. During the elevage, the white wine is never racked and the wines are raised sous voile. The still white wines are the product of grapes harvested exclusively from old vines that are at least 40 years of age.
