Domaine du Pelican Arbois Maceration Pelliculaire Savagnin, Jura, France

Late-afternoon light spills across a pale gold liquid as 2020 Domaine du Pelican Arbois Maceration Pelliculaire Savagnin slips into the glass, a wine that seems to carry both earth and energy, one foot in tradition and the other dancing with daring. This lip-smacking expression of Savagnin draws you into a world where skin contact and subtle volatility yield a richly textured, mysterious, and deeply characterful experience.

Product Details:

• Owners: Guillaume d’Angerville
• Winemaker: François Duvivier
• Grape Variety: 100% Savagnin
• AVA: Arbois (Jura)
• Vintage: 2020
• ABV: 13.5%
• Style: Skin-contact (maceration pelliculaire), still white wine

Sensory Description:

Aroma arrives first with crisp sour apple and bitter orange peel, then drifts toward dried grasses and a whisper of smoky tea. On the palate, the wine is dry, tense, and almost chewy. Firm but supple tannins provide structure, while flavors of apricot, lemon rind, and lightly salted stone fruit push through. A mineral streak brightens the core, carrying the wine into a persistent, savory finish. As it opens, the wine leans further into its citrus bitterness, subtle herbal tones, and an earthy depth that lingers with quiet authority.

Winemaker's Background:

Domaine du Pelican was established in the Jura by Guillaume d’Angerville of the famed Burgundy estate Domaine Marquis d’Angerville. Seeking purity, precision, and craftsmanship similar to what he champions in Volnay, he entrusted the day-to-day viticulture and winemaking to François Duvivier, who guides the estate with an exacting but open-minded hand. This maceration pelliculaire expression, first developed in 2018, explores Savagnin through brief skin contact, capturing its tension and aromatic drive while layering in structure and textural intrigue. The 2020 vintage stands among the early benchmarks of this stylistic exploration.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve at 50–55°F in a white wine glass to allow its aromatic detail and textural nuance to unfold. A short rest after opening, about 15–20 minutes, helps reveal deeper citrus, spice, and herbal notes. Pour 5–6 ounces per serving. Ideal food pairings include citrus-marinated seafood, shaved vegetable salads, grilled fish, mildly spiced vegetarian dishes, or aged cheeses whose salt and richness play well against the wine’s structure and tension.