The 2022 Croix & Courbet Arbois En Chemenot Savagnin Ouillé is a beautifully chiselled and intensely mineral Jura white from the exciting collaboration between Burgundian winemaker David Croix and Jura native Damien Courbet. Sourced from the En Chemenot lieu-dit just east of Arbois, the wine comes from north-facing blue and grey marl soils at around 350 metres elevation, planted to Savagnin in 2004 and farmed organically and biodynamically. Vinified in an ouillé style to preserve freshness and terroir transparency rather than oxidative character, the wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged primarily in cement egg with a small portion in older oak barrels, resulting in a style of remarkable purity, tension and precision.
The nose reveals preserved lemon, quince and green apple layered alongside fennel, wet stone and subtle almond notes, giving the wine remarkable aromatic lift and Jura character. On the palate, it is light to medium-bodied with vibrant natural acidity, fine phenolic grip and a tightly wound saline mineral core. Layers of citrus oil, orchard fruit and delicate savoury complexity unfold with chalky tension and exceptional energy, finishing long, stony and beautifully persistent with impressive freshness and finesse. Critics and merchants consistently highlight the wine’s crystalline minerality, textured mouthfeel and tightly coiled structure, describing it as both dense and remarkably precise.
Ben’s Recommendation:
The 2022 Croix & Courbet Arbois En Chemenot Savagnin Ouillé is a superb modern Jura Savagnin — mineral, saline and beautifully refined with outstanding tension and terroir detail. Perfect with Comté, trout almondine, roast chicken, mushroom dishes, scallops or refined alpine cuisine. Enjoy now with decanting or cellar comfortably through 2037+.
