Domaine Tissot ‘La Mailloche’ Arbois Blanc 2018

Location: France, Jura, Arbois

Winemaker: Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot

Grapes: Chardonnay

Soil: clay marl

Winemaking: entirely fermented in 228L barrel with full malolactic.

‘La Mailloche’: Chardonnay from a single famous vineyard called La Mailloche. The soils here are deep compacted clay underneath a thick layer of silt, and beneath that, an even deeper base of limestone with high minerality due to fossilized oyster shells dating back millions of years ago.

From the Importer Vineyard Road: Founded in 1962 by André and Mireille Tissot, the winery is one of the most progressive estates in the Jura. Now operated by Stéphane and Bénédicte Tissot, the estate produces 28 wines that demonstrate the best of the appellation.

Fifteen people work year-round to maintain the 35 hectares of vineyards, all of which are farmed using certified biodynamic practices. Stéphane produces so many different wines because he believes that natural wine is unique to time and place. Each wine is specific to a vineyard or parcel, and the individuality is allowed to shine through. Creating truly natural wine, he believes, is creating wine that is unlike anything else on the planet, with no two bottlings identical. Stéphane is a leader of a revolt against “industrialized wines,” all similar and lacking character. This quest for “aromatic diversity” is what led Stéphane and Bénédicte to produce the 28 different cuvées “terroir by terroir.” These individual wines express the incredible diversity of the vineyards of the Jura and demonstrate the true quality of the region.