Domaine Du Pelican - Chardonnay En Barbi 2018

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Domaine du Pélican has been farming this En Barbi parcel since 2012 with particular interest. It is a south-facing plot, sheltered from the winds due to its location at the end of an amphitheater of hills around it. Its southerly exposure accounts for its early and complete maturation at harvest. The soil is silty clay over grey marls, resulting in excellent drainage and low risk of hydric stress.

The wine is aged in 350L and 500L barrels (50% of total); 30% in foudre (large oak cask) and 20% in vats. The soil in the parcel of “En Barbi” is Jurassic marl so rich in limestone that it appears white. Francois Duvivier believes that the presence of such a large amount of marl in the soil contributes to wines with more minerality, volume, and length than a “classic” soil of clay and limestone. He describes the balance between the soil type (marl) and the exposure (south) being the main factors behind “En Barbi”'s uniqueness as a plot. The total size of the En Barbi parcel is 1.8 hectare but only 1ha of it is Chardonnay - the rest is Savagnin, Trousseau, and some Poulsard.

Domaine Du Pelican Description

Domaine du Pélican began with a bottle of wine.

"I tasted this bottle blind in a restaurant in Paris that I often go to. I always tell the sommelier to give me something blind and the only rule is that it has to be outside Burgundy. When he brought me this wine, I said, 'You forgot the rule, you brought me a wine from Burgundy.' And he said, 'I am afraid you're wrong.’’ - Guillaume d’Angerville

The wine was a bottle of Stéphane Tissot’s Chardonnay Arbois Les Bruyères 2005 and it left such an impression on Guillaume that it inspired him to begin a search for vineyards in the Jura. After leasing Chateau Chavanes in Montigny-les-Arsures, Guillaume gained access to 5 hectares of biodynamically farmed vines that had been impeccably replanted ten years prior by the former owner. The domaine is supported by an additional 5 hectares of vines never touched by chemicals and formerly farmed by Jean-Marc Brignot. In 2014, Jacques Puffeney announced he would be retiring and that Guillaume would be taking over 4 hectares of his vineyards.

Within a short of period of time, Guillaume and his team in the Jura, led by François Duvivier, have adopted a Jurassic sensibility and are poised to do great things.