Domaine de Saint-Pierre: The Superb Wines from Fabrice Dodane!
While it is unlike us to associate certain wines with certain seasons, the chill of winter simply requires a degree of decadence that I can only find in the savory and sumptuous white wine from the Jura. Perhaps I am biased, but when the cold wind is at one's cheeks, who can deny the revitalizing effects of a hearty sous-voile? Further, few vignerons craft the sort of Savagnins and Chardonnays that captivate us quite like the affable Fabrice Dodane.
Domaine de Saint-Pierre began in the 1980s when the late Philippe Moyne left his law practice to replant a few hectares of vines in the storied villages of Vadans and Saint-Pierre in Arbois. Early on, Fabrice, who studied viticulture in Beaune, was hired as Moyne's vineyard manager. By 2008 he had converted the entire estate to certified organic viticulture and since taking over the Domaine in 2012, he has continued to move the estate towards a more natural approach. The winery is meticulous (aside from splashes of fuchsia-colored wax for the bottle caps) and lined with stainless tanks, oak barrels, and a separate dry room where his Savagnin quietly develops for six years under flor. His reds (which are exceptional in good vintages) are made without added sulfur, and most recently he's begun experimenting with making white wine without any sulfur additions; notably his punchy 2015 Chardonnay "Les Brûlées."
There is, unfortunately, only a fraction of the typical quantity of red wines available from the Jura due to the difficult 2016 and 2017 vintages. But in their noticeable absence, we've had the opportunity to focus on Chardonnay and Savagnin. It's been a thrill to rediscover their ability to express the distinctive marnes soils of Arbois with the effort of precise winemakers like Fabrice. For example, his spectacular 2010 Savagnin "Voile" demonstrates all of the things we enjoy about the variety: invigorating saline acidity, lemon zestiness, and supple weight, without allowing the voile-aging to dominate the palate. It is both a lesson in balance and in aging one's Jura whites!
After a lovely visit with Fabrice in May, we are happy to report that 2018 is "ça roule!" (it's rolling) and there should be plenty of wines, red and white, to go around next year. In the meantime, bravo to Fabrice for the truly wonderful line-up of both traditional and modern Savagnin and Chardonnay!
-Amanda Bowman
