ARBOIS PINOT NOIR COMBE LEUBET 2020

With a bright ruby red colour, the Pinot Noir offers in this Arbois a pleasant nose, straight and fine, with red fruits aromas. In the mouth, this is a rich and powerful wine with flavours of black fruits and fine spices notes. A great, racy wine for keeping as shown by the really present but elegant tannins.

Serve ideally with a fine piece of beef, dishes cooked and marinated such as the famous “Coq au vin” or in accompaniment of a great plate of French cheeses!

14 to 15°C. (57-59°F.).

5 to 7 years.

The Jura wine region is small in size but large in its remarkable diversity. It covers 80
kilometres between Burgundy and Switzerland, in the eastern France.

The Arbois AOC is the oldest and largest of the Jura's four geographic AOCs. In particular, it was France's first AOC (created in 1937).  

Its name originates in the Celtic words "ar" and "bois" that would mean "fertile land".

Located in the heart of the estate, at the foothills of the Jura Mountains, the “Combe Leubet” plot covers 4 hectares of Pinot Noir vines with a South and Nord exposure.

They were planted in 2001 on stony limestone soils over beds of silty clay.

The work in the vines, is based on the respect of the nature and the soil. For young vines, located on steep slopes, to avoid erosion, we cultivate a row out of two, practice soil reassembly to aerate the lands subjected to settlement due to moisture, and grass with plants. Such as clover, which, by competing on the vine, can modulate its mineral and water supply and control its vigour and yield. The Guyot double size is necessary for the Pinot Noir to better control its performance.

Reception of the harvest, with sorting on sorting table. Total maceration of 12 days in thermoregulated stainless steel tank. Followed regularly throughout the fermentation, incorporating some pumping and pigeage (punching). At the moment of pressing, the press and drop juices of each cuvee are assembled and withdrawn for malolactic fermentation on fine lees. Ageing, partially in oak barrels (20% new oak) for 8 months allowing to keep the fruity and typical character of the grape. Light filtration before bottling.

The current public health crisis has certainly marked this year’s harvest, which nonetheless has been able to go ahead!

We were slightly less affected in the Jura vineyards, by drought than other regions thanks to rain during the month of August. One of the main challenges with this very early harvest was to achieve both optimal ripeness and balance.

Harvest was spread over a month on this estate, which has 234 ha (578.22 ac) in production this year. The harvest was good thanks to the replanting and reorganizing carried out in the vineyard over the last five years.

Initial tastings, Jacques Hauller:

‘The Jura, now more than ever, can lay claim to being the sixth sub-region of Burgundy! It boasts citrusy Chardonnays with a distinct mineral quality despite the very ripe state of the grapes and fruity Pinot Noirs with ripe tannins.

Careful plot selection reveals the potential of our Vignes aux Anes Trousseau; Vignes de Sorbief Savagnin and Chardonnay; a new gem like the delicate, elegant Pinot Noir in Arbois-Pupillin in the locality called ‘La Ronde’, which has been planted alongside the largely-forgotten native variety, Petit Béclan, which produces lively, light red wines which are great for blending purposes; and last but not least, carefully-selected Chardonnay from the vines at Grange Grillard.’