Château de Verreux will forever be connected to the origin of the Arbois appellation, purportedly the first AOC in France. In the decades after Joseph Girard, the founder of the estate and the driving force behind the appellation, passed away, the property fell into disrepair. The château had degraded into a grey, uninhabited ruin in the center of the village, and its vineyards had long ago returned to the wild. But in recent years, life and energy have returned to Verreux.
The team reawakening the dormant estate are winemaker Vincent Remillet, who honed his craft for more than a decade at Domaine du Pélican, along with partners Vincent Richard and Yann Greset, who share the goal of restoring a historic piece of Arbois to its former glory and crafting transparent, biodynamic wines from this historic terroir.
Brilliant red in color with a cool, alpine aromatic profile, the varietal trousseau cuvée from Verreux is emblematic of their terroir, with the indigenous grape serving as an ideal vector. While initially reserved, it reveals a sweet-fruited core on the palate, balanced by an elegant austerity and a lip-smacking saline finish. Grapes are fully destemmed before fermentation in stainless steel and ten months of aging in old barrels. Sulfur addition is at a bare minimum, and only just before bottling.
Region
Alpine
Subregion
Jura
Appellation
Arbois
Plots
En Brut (0.5ha total)
Elevation
300m
Exposure
Southeast & east
Grapes
100% Trousseau à la Dame (from old massale selection)
Vine Age
Planted in 2001
Soil
Silty clay topsoil over grey marl
Fermentation
Grapes are destemmed and fermented spontaneously with native yeast in stainless steel
Aging
10 months in used 400L barrels
Farming
Practicing organic, practicing biodynamic (certification coming next vintage)
Fining & Filtration
None
Vegan
Yes
SO2 Total
35ppm
ABV
12%
Pack Size
6x750mL