Bénédicte and Stéphane TISSOT - Savagnin Ouillé 2023
In Montigny-lès-Arsures, in the heart of the Arbois vineyard, Bénédicte and Stéphane Tissot have established one of the most exciting interpretations of contemporary Jura. The family estate, deeply rooted in this region of marls, limestones, and bright reliefs, explores with rare precision the diversity of Jura grape varieties. Stéphane Tissot has gradually built a range where each cuvée has a strong identity, combining biodynamic energy, low-intervention vinifications, and a quest for purity. Savagnin holds a central place in this story, as it embodies the soul of Jura through its aromatic power, tension, and ability to express the soils. In its ouillé version, it leaves the traditional oxidative style to reveal a more direct, crystalline, almost sharp expression of the grape variety. The 2023 vintage brings maturity, relief, and beautiful intensity here, without erasing the natural freshness of the wine. This cuvée appeals as much to lovers of great Jura whites as to those wishing to discover Savagnin in a pure, dry, and gastronomic expression.
This Savagnin Ouillé 2023 is made from Savagnin, the emblematic grape variety of Jura, worked here with regular topping up of the containers to avoid the veil and preserve the fruit's clarity. This aging method allows expressing a tighter, saltier, and more immediate facet of the grape, without the marked notes of walnut and spices associated with wines aged under veil. The grapes come from Jura terroirs dominated by marls and limestones, which give the wine its mineral structure, tension, and finishing energy. The harvest is manual, in the demanding spirit of the estate, with spontaneous fermentations led by indigenous yeasts. The ouillé aging, carried out on lees, supports the material without diverting it from its natural uprightness. Biodynamics gives this cuvée a particular vitality, with a palate that seems to vibrate between fruit maturity, acidic freshness, and noble bitterness. In 2023, the balance is particularly attractive, with a Savagnin that is both ample, precise, and luminous.
The color presents as a clear golden yellow, bright, with luminous reflections that announce a white wine of tension and substance. The nose evokes ripe lemon, citrus zest, yellow apple, fresh pear, and white flowers, then opens onto deeper notes of almond, warm stone, fennel, very light curry, and crushed shell. On the palate, the attack is clear, energetic, carried by fine acidity and a very marked saline sensation. The wine has volume, but its balance remains tight, dry, almost vertical, with a savory texture and great persistence. The finish prolongs the citrus, white fruits, fine bitterness, and this Jura minerality that gives Savagnin ouillé all its gastronomic dimension. This cuvée will pair remarkably well with creamy poultry, fish in sauce, seared scallops, trout with almonds, morels, comté risotto, or an aged Jura cheese. Served around 11 to 13°C, in a fairly large glass, it will benefit from being aerated for a few minutes to allow its texture, tension, and aromatic complexity to unfold.
Grape variety: Savagnin
