Arbois

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The plots are planted on the slopes of the plateau escarpment, generally west-facing, at elevations between 250 and 400 metres above sea level.
• The soils rest on marly or clayey slopes of the Lower Jurassic and Triassic periods, dominated by a cliff of yellowish limestone from the Middle Jurassic.
• The cliff produces limestone scree that enriches and lightens the underlying marls, and locally the clays are mixed with 'chailles', flint nodules formed by the dissolution of limestone beds.
• In the commune of Pupillin, amid a rugged landscape rich in limestone scree, soils develop over very deep, clayey, and compact iridescent marls.
• The cool oceanic climate with continental influences displays a wide annual temperature range, around a mean of 10.5°C, with rainfall exceeding 1,000 millimetres distributed evenly throughout the year, and an autumn that is generally sunny, dry, but windy.
• The shelter provided by particularly high cliffs protects the vineyards from northerly and easterly winds.

• Vin jaune is produced from the Savagnin grape variety, harvested at optimal ripeness, then vinified as a dry white wine and aged without topping up for at least six years in oak barrels, with a veil of yeasts developing naturally on the surface.
• Vin jaune is bottled in a specific 62-centilitre bottle known as the Clavelin, while vin de paille is made by drying whole bunches off the vine for at least six weeks before a slow, low-yield pressing.

• Poulsard, generally vinified as a red wine, notably at Pupillin, yields a light ruby colour and fruity aromas, while Trousseau produces wines with more tannin and often deeper colour, with animal notes.
• Vin jaune is characterised by a distinctive 'goût de jaune' combining notes of walnut, apple, candied fruit, and spice, with an amber-gold colour, and can be cellared for 50 to 100 years in bottle.
• Vin de paille is a sweet wine developing aromas of candied fruit recalling prune or candied orange, or aromas of honey, varying according to the origin, the grape varieties, and the producer's expertise.
• The white wines express considerable freshness, frequently displaying a range of fruity aromas combined with mineral notes and hints of flint.

• The combination of pedological, topographical, and mesoclimatic factors gives the Arbois appellation optimal conditions for aromatic white wines expressing fruitiness and minerality, with a freshness that guarantees ageing potential.
• The wide thermal amplitude between winter and summer contributes to the development of the 'voile' yeasts responsible for the characteristic 'goût de jaune' of vin jaune.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

Dénominations géographiques complémentaires

• Arbois Pupillin AOC (PDO)

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF)
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVJ — Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins du Jura