Domaine de la Borde "Cote de Caillot" Chardonnay Arbois Pupillin 2022

Press 2 • December 2025/January 2026 Direct Press Selection

Julien Mareschal used to enjoy visiting the small hamlet of Pupillin and the winemakers he met there, so in 2003 he decided to move there. Though nowadays buying vines in the Jura is expensive and hard to come by, at the time the region was not understood or well-liked. The small-town politics of Pupillin also benefited outsider Julien, since the older woman selling the vines refused to sell to any of her neighbors due to some kind of standing resentment. And yet besides this Julien has found a very supportive community there. Having neighbors like Pierre Overnoy, Manu Houillon, and Jean-Michel Petit of Renardiere can't hurt if you're an aspiring natural winemaker. From them Julien essentially 'unlearned' the things he studied at winemaking school and now makes wines that are delicate, precise expressions of local terroir with sulfur levels as low as he can get away with.

His "Cote de Caillot" Chardonnay is made in the ouillé style — topped up and not oxidative or nutty — and it is from vines planted in 1982 on clay and limestone at an elevation of 1600 ft above sea level. Aged in 600L neutral barrels for two years. The wine is ripping. Great acidity but also a focused, pleasurable core of cream, saline, and mineral texture. A tangy, gingery edge rounds it out. Still fairly taut, it will only get better. He may not be as famous as his neighbors but to those in the know, Julien Mareschal is making some of the most impressive wines in the Jura. They manage to feel understated and elegant while simultaneously blowing your mind. Jonathan Kemp