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.
The Symbiose cuvée is a refined, harmonious co-fermentation of the Jura’s three signature red grapes: 40% pinot noir, 30% poulsard, and 30% trousseau. Here, the pinot noir provides a deeper hue and enhanced structural integrity. The nose is open and cooling, revealing delicate aromas of small red fruits and a subtle, unsweetened fruit coulis character. Verreux’s house style emphasizes delicate tannin through slow infusion rather than extraction. The Symbiose blend is fermented and aged in stainless steel to further project the bright fruits and underlying floral notes. Sulfur addition is at a bare minimum, and only just before bottling.
Region
Alpine
Subregion
Jura
Appellation
Arbois
Plots
En Brut and Monteiller (0.6ha total)
Elevation
300-350m
Exposure
Southeast & east
Grapes
40% pinot noir / 30% poulsard / 30% trousseau
Vine Age
Vineyards planted between 1975-2001
Soil
Silty clay topsoil over grey marl
Fermentation
All varieties are destemmed and co-fermented spontaneously with native yeast in stainless steel
Aging
10 months in stainless steel tanks
Farming
Practicing organic, practicing biodynamic (certification coming next vintage)
Fining & Filtration
None
Vegan
Yes
SO2 Total
43ppm
ABV
12%
Pack Size
6x750mL