The 2023 Cellier Saint Benoît Arbois Pupillin Les Charots Chardonnay is a beautifully chiselled and intensely mineral Jura Chardonnay from one of the region’s most exciting young producers. Crafted by Benjamin Benoit in the village of Pupillin, the wine comes from the steep Les Charots lieu-dit, planted on iron-rich orange marl and yellow Bajocian limestone soils that give the wine its distinctive tension and mineral drive. Produced from around 30-year-old vines and first released only in 2021, the cuvée reflects Benoit’s Burgundian-influenced precision and low-intervention philosophy focused on terroir transparency and freshness.
The nose reveals preserved lemon, green apple and white peach layered alongside crushed stone, almond and subtle smoky reduction, giving the wine remarkable aromatic lift and complexity. On the palate, it is light to medium-bodied with vibrant natural acidity, fine textural depth and a tightly wound saline mineral core. Layers of citrus oil, orchard fruit and gentle lees richness unfold with chalky tension and exceptional energy, finishing long, precise and beautifully persistent with outstanding finesse. Critics have praised the wine’s "citrusy, mineral edge" and more Burgundian profile, while others highlight its razor-sharp focus, chalky salinity and electric freshness.
Ben’s Recommendation:
The 2023 Cellier Saint Benoît Les Charots Chardonnay is a superb Jura Chardonnay — mineral, vibrant and beautifully refined with outstanding tension and terroir detail. Perfect with Comté, roast chicken, scallops, trout, mushroom dishes or refined alpine cuisine. Enjoy now with decanting or cellar comfortably through 2038+.
