Description
Côtes du Jura – Chardonnay “Les Grandes Vignes” Domaine Eric Thill 2019
Domaine Eric Thill
Eric and Bérengère Thill live in the village of Trenal, close to the commune of Gevingey where their vines are planted. They settled in Jura a decade ago seeking opportunities to grow and make wine that were unatainble to them in Eric’s native Alsace. The pair began making wine in 2009 with just 2.8ha of grapes (their holdings have since grown to 7ha) Growing traditional Jura grape varieties including Chardonnay, Savagnin, Pinot Noir and Poulsard; it was certified organic by Ecocert in 2015. The vineyards are on a variety of different soil types from Bajocien limestone to the fabled grey, red and blue marl. Through the vineyards that Eric and Bérengère work with have always been farmed organically, everything is harvested by hand with pesticides and sulphur used only minimally. Due to the low yield per ha, the wines are concentrated. The cool fermentation preserves the fruitiness and the long yeast storage gives the wines the necessary stability for long bottle ageing. On the viticulture and winemaking side, Eric works solo. He practices ‘parcellaire’ – meaning he vinifies each parcel’s fruit independently and typically (he will make exceptions if they have a frost), does not blend varietals or add any purchased fruit. He seeks to express the unique characteristics of the vineyards’ terroir and each grape variety in his wines. In the cellar he works with only wild ferments and low doses of sulphur at pressing (<3gl/Hl). He employs gentle and long press cycles for the whites but avoids any meaningful maceration with the skins. For the reds he has no fixed ‘formula’ and the length of maceration time depends wholly on the season. He bottles each cuvée only when he deems it ready – anywhere from 6 to 18 months from the end of fermentation.
Grey and yellow marlstones, West-facing. Indigenous yeasts, no malolactic fermentation to conserve freshness. Sur-Lie aging for 10 months prior to bottling.
Grape: Chardonnay
Organic
