ARBOIS PINOT NOIR VIGNES DE SORBIEF 2023

Grandes Parcelles

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2019   2020   2021   2022   2023  
Several generations have been necessary to patiently built one of the largest and greatest estates in the area, focused on key appellations such as Château-Chalon, l’Étoile and Arbois. The Domaine MAIRE & Fils covers nowadays 234 hectares of vines producing all the area grapes varieties.

100% Pinot Noir.

In the Jura area, Pinot Noir is often blended with other varieties, for its flavour and cellaring potential. It can also be enjoyed as a single-varietal wine. Planted since the 15th century in the Jura, on gravelly soils, it is often the first vine variety to ripen in the area. It gives red wines with a strong colour and hints of wild mushrooms, cherries and wild berries.
With its limpid ruby red colour, this Pinot Noir has a pleasant, pure and fine nose, revealing aromas of red fruits. On the palate, it is a powerful, rich wine with notes of black fruits and fine spices. The tannins are very present and the wine is elegant, making it a good wine for laying down.
Serve ideally with grilled or roasted meats, a fine piece of beef, dishes cooked and marinated, or in accompaniment of a great plate of French cheeses!
14 to 15°C. (57-59°F.).
5 to 6 years.
The Jura wine region is small in size but large in its remarkable diversity. It covers 80 kilometres between Burgundy and Switzerland, in the eastern France. The Arbois AOC is the oldest and largest of the Jura's four geographic AOCs. In particular, it was France's first AOC (created in 1937). Its name originates in the Celtic words "ar" and "bois" that would mean "fertile land".
The “Sorbief” parcel is known as one of the best terroirs in Arbois. It is at least the treasure of the estate’s vineyards where we identified and selected of the best plot adapted to the Pinot Noir.

The parcel is located in the west of the Domaine and to the southwest of the Arbois village on a lovely hill overlooking the famous “Route des vins du Jura” (the Jura wine road) RN 83.

- Surface: 1,40 Ha
- Facing due south
- Average age of vines :  17 years (1999)
- Soils: marls and limestones with fossil shells.

The work in the vines, is based on the respect of the nature and the soil. For young vines, located on steep slopes, to avoid erosion, we cultivate a row out of two, practice soil reassembly to aerate the lands subjected to settlement due to moisture, and grass with plants. Such as clover, which, by competing on the vine, can modulate its mineral and water supply and control its vigour and yield. The Guyot double size is necessary for the Pinot Noir to better control its performance.
Reception of the manual harvest, with sorting on sorting table. Total maceration of 12 days in thermos-regulated stainless steel tank. Followed regularly throughout the fermentation, incorporating some pumping and pigeage (punching). At the moment of pressing, the press and drop juices of each cuvee are assembled and withdrawn for malolactic fermentation on fine lees. Ageing, partially in oak barrels, for 6 months allowing to keep the fruity and typical character of the grape. Light filtration before bottling.
The 2023 harvest started on 28 August in our large vineyard, and was well anticipated, particularly for the Crémants, with around ten days' cutting, which enabled us to retain good acidity and ultimately produce a magnificent harvest.

The best-quality plots this year were the white varieties: Chardonnay and Savagnin.

The red wines are still on a tightrope and the choice of harvest date was once again decisive, but once again, everything was well anticipated to produce some fine cuvées!

There'll be no frost in 2023, and we'd love to see this level of harvest every year, with volumes well above the ten-year average, reminiscent of the 2018 vintage, the benchmark for volumes in the Jura.