Domaine de Saint Pierre S.A.S Vins Fabrice Dodane Chardonnay Arbois 2023

Domaine de Saint Pierre S.A.S Vins Fabrice Dodane Chardonnay Arbois 2023

Domaine de Saint Pierre
$60.00

Grape: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2023
Type: White

Sourced through Fabrice Dodane's S.A.S Vins Fabrice Dodane négoce project, the grapes are grown by a young protégé of Fabrice Dodane who is now a stellar producer in his own right, Julien Crinquand. This topped-up, or ouillé, Chardonnay brings his minimal-intervention winemaking to biodynamic farmed fruit from the Jura's limestone and clay soils. The hand-harvested grapes ferment naturally with indigenous yeasts in neutral oak barrels, aging on the fine lees in the estate cellar. By keeping the barrels topped up throughout maturation, the winemaking prevents oxidative flor development, highlighting pure varietal freshness and linear tension. Bottled unfined and unfiltered with no added sulfur, this is an energetic, chiseled Jura white that reflects Dodane's signature style.

A pale straw-gold hue yields aromatics of green apple, Meyer lemon zest, white flowers, and damp stone. The palate opens with direct flavors of tart orchard fruit, citrus oil, and raw almond, softened by a light, silky leesy texture. Vibrant, cool-climate acidity drives through the mid-palate, giving the wine a focused, chalky weight that feels electric and clean. It finishes long, dry, and distinctly saline, leaving a lasting impression of crushed limestone and grapefruit pith.

Domaine de Saint Pierre is a benchmark natural estate based in Mathenay, a small village near Arbois in the Jura. Winemaker Fabrice Dodane began managing the domain in 1989, converting its 6 hectares of vines to organic and biodynamic practices before purchasing the property outright in 2011. Situated across the Arbois and Côtes du Jura appellations, his plots are rooted in stony clay-limestone and nutrient-dense gray and blue marl soils. Dodane cultivates traditional regional varieties—including chardonnay, savagnin, ploussard, pinot noir, and trousseau—while also producing a playful micro-négociant line, Le Dos d'Chat, using organic fruit sourced from like-minded vigneron friends to offset severe regional spring frosts.

In the cellar, Dodane follows an uncompromising hands-off methodology aligned with Jura’s low-intervention movement. All fermentations rely on native yeasts in neutral oak puncheons, large vats, or stainless steel tanks. Red wines undergo gentle extraction and are bottled completely without added sulfur, fining, or filtration. His white cuvées are crafted in two distinct styles: topped-up (ouillé) bottlings that preserve laser-sharp acidity and crystalline minerality, and traditional sous voile expressions aged oxidatively under a veil of flor. The resulting wines offer a pure, high-tension snapshot of Jura terroir, characterized by electric citrus, wild herbs, fine lees weight, and a persistent salty finish.