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.
Made in the traditional (outside of the Jura), topped-up ouillé style, Verreux’s savagnin shows a beautiful straw color, with aromas of white flowers. These lead to a waxy, rich palate defined by an elegant, expansive character with a textural, chalky, saline finish. It’s incredibly precise, and balanced, with excellent acidity and a mouthwatering finish. After spontaneous fermentation in old barrels, the savagnin undergoes 18 months aging before bottling with a very light filtration. Sulfur addition is at a bare minimum, and only just before bottling.
Region
Alpine
Subregion
Jura
Appellation
Arbois
Plots
En Brut (0.5ha)
Elevation
300m
Exposure
South
Grapes
100% savagnin
Vine Age
Planted between 1973-2018
Soil
Silty clay topsoil over grey marl
Fermentation
Whole bunches are fermented spontaneously with native yeast in used 225L and 400L barrels
Aging
18 months on the lees without bâtonnage in the same barrels
Farming
Practicing Organic, Practicing Biodynamic (certified next vintage)
Fining & Filtration
Only light bentonite filtration
Vegan
Yes
ABV
12.5%
Pack Size
6x750mL