Domaine Joseph Dorbon Trousseau Vieilles Vignes Arbois Rouge 2022

Location: France, Jura

Winemaker: Pierre Laporte

Grapes: Trousseau

Soil: yellow marl

Winemaking: aged in stainless steel for 1 year, no sulfur added at any point

Trousseau: Trousseau reigns supreme in Montigny-les-Arsures, the home village of Michel Gahier and Jacques Puffeney, where it produces wines of power and structure from the village’s grey-marl soils; by contrast, Vadans’ yellow-marl soils produce a more easygoing version of the variety, and Dorbon thusly treats it more breezily in the cellar than he does his Ploussard. With its clean, ringing black-cherry fruit and its varietally true spice character, Joseph’s 2019 Trousseau dazzles with its purity and drive, with only a wisp of tannins tying the package together.

From the Importer Rosenthal: We had the happy circumstance of being introduced to Joseph Dorbon early in 2016 by our friend and grower, Michel Gahier. We consider ourselves fortunate to gain access to these traditional wines.

Joseph Dorbon initiated 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 recognized as on the path to organic classification (“en conversion biologique”). The soil is worked, turned effectively twice a year, the second time in June with the aid of a horse. Vegetation is essentially left in between the vineyard rows with the weeding done only underneath and immediately around the 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 usually lasts for 15 days or so. Both the Ploussard and Trousseau are aged for one year in stainless steel while the Pinot Noir rests in 225 liter barrels for an eighteen-month period.

The whites are all pressed as “grappes entieres”. The juice destined for the Crémant goes into stainless until it is prepared for the second fermentation; the Chardonnay for the still wines 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.