Arbois Vin Jaune W fût de Michel Couvreur Bénédicte et Stéphane Tissot 2011

Lot presentation

Arbois Vin Jaune W fût de Michel Couvreur Bénédicte et Stéphane Tissot 2011

The wine

Stéphane Tissot is undoubtedly an artist, because it took imagination and audacity to make this really unusual cuvée. It combines vin jaune which has been aged for over six years in barrels – nothing odd about that – with Michel Couvreur's whiskies. (The latter is a malt whisky producer). And that’s not all. The story does not end there. With the barriques of vin jaune, Michel Couvreur produces a hybrid between whisky and vin jaune. The vin jaune W is marked by the barrel’s peaty notes which give it a real rancio depth. The result is similar to whisky, in a more digestible version. A truly sensory experience!

About the Producer Tissot

The domain might still carry the name of his parents, but Stéphane Tissot (and his wife Bénédicte) took over the family business over 20 years ago. In 1995, Stéphane began to reduce the amount of fertiliser so as to pave the way for organic viticulture. Around this time he also stopped using chemical herbicides altogether. In 1999, the then 28 hectares (now 46 hectares) became entirely organic and, after a few years, the whole domain became biodynamic in 2004 (Demeter certification). Stéphane's hard work has transformed the quality of the grapes. With such good quality fruit, vinifications are relatively easy and require very little intervention. Natural yeasts are used in fermentation and a very small amount of sulphites are added, nothing else. The end result is an excellent expression of terroir with intense aromas. Stéphane's quest to convey his many different terroirs has led him to produce nearly 50 different cuvées from many different grape varieties using various vinification methods. For example, for the Savagnin, a variety typical of the Jura, the property produces wines with and without oxidation (i.e. topping up of the barrels) and vin jaune. This domain is at its zenith and is one of the Jura's (and iDealwine's) best kept secrets.

Detailed characteristics