Arbois Cul de Brey Blanc Tournelle 2022

Arbois Cul de Brey Blanc, Domaine de la Tournelle, biodynamic wine, very limited production Chardonnay, a majestic wine to savour and age in your cellar.  In the 2020 vintage, the production was very low, with not enough fruit to produce the two classic single vineyard Chardonnay wines, Terre de Gryphees and Corvees sous Curons.  So a single Cuvee from fruit harvested from across the estate was produced.  Although the production was very low, the quality is as always outstanding.  Tournelle have become a bench mark for classic style Jura wine, not funky or to edgy in terms of acidity and volatile elements.  These wines are classic, stylish, smooth, golden and absolutely stunning.  They are a rare treat.

Evelyne Clairet owns 7 hectares in the region around Arbois, the famous wine growing capital of the Jura.

She farms biodynamically and follows Maria Thun's calender in all the operations.  At Tournelle they tend to use no sulphur at bottling, but sometimes add 2 or 3 grams per litre earlier in the wine making. Unlike many Jura producers, they are looking in general to avoid oxygen in most of their wines to keep the freshness of the fruit. Their wines are a combination of golden Chardonnay fruit and Jura minerals. They are linear and precise and have the most incredible texture of any Chardonnay we have tasted. Top Burgundy wines sell for incredible prices.  But in terms of quality, complexity and sheer pleasure in drinking, we have not come across many Chardonnay that rival the wines of Domaine de la Tournelle.  Their Savagnin is also of outstanding quality, and they make some fascinating and unique reds.