Growers / France / Jura / Joseph Dorbon

Joseph Dorbon

Joseph Dorbon’s setup is simple: three hectares of organically tended vines on prime south-facing slopes above his home village of Vadans, a horse to help him plow, and a subterranean, 16th-century cellar in which his soulful wines slowly take shape.

Joseph Dorbon commenced his work as vigneron in 1996.  He works three hectares of vineyards situated in his village of Vadans, six kilometers north of Arbois and across the Route Nationale from the fabled town of Montigny-les-Arsures.  The vines are hillside plantings, southeast facing, at approximately 1,000 feet of altitude (322 meters).  Dorbon works his vineyards following the best ecological practices and is now on the path to organic classification (“en conversion biologique”).  He turns the soil just twice a year, the second time in June with the aid of a horse. Between ploughings, vegetation is largely left to grow between the vineyard rows with the weeding done only underneath and immediately around individual vines.

The vineyards are planted to a mix of Trousseau, Ploussard and Pinot Noir for the reds (30%) and Chardonnay and Savagnin (70% for the whites).  All grapes are hand harvested.

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The reds are each vinified separately after being destemmed.  The alcoholic fermentation and cuvaison lasts for about 15 days.   Both the Ploussard and Trousseau are aged for one year in stainless steel while the Pinot Noir rests in 225 liter oak barrels for an eighteen-month period.

The whites are all pressed as grappes entières.  The Chardonnay is fermented in 225 liter barrels and is left in the barrel to age for twenty-four months before bottling.  During the élevage, the white wine is never racked and the wines are raised sous voile.  The still white wines are the product of grapes harvested exclusively from old vines that are at least 40 years of age.

Farming

Practicing organic

Treatments

Copper-sulfate only

Ploughing

Annual ploughing by horse

Soils

Yellow and white limestone-clay marls

Vines

Trained in Guyot and planted at 5,000 vines/ha, vines average 30 years old

Yields

Controlled through pruning and debudding

Harvest

Entirely manual, mid-September to early October

Sourcing

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Red wines see total destemming and a short cold soak before fermenting spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks. Cuvaison lasts c. 14 days. Cuvée des Moyne ferments spontaneously in neutral 228-l barrels. Savagnin ferments spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks

Extraction

Red wines see pumpovers during cuvaison

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Pneumatic pressing for reds, whole-cluster direct pneumatic pressing for whites

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, directly following alcoholic fermentation

Élevage

Trousseau ages 12 months in stainless-steel tanks. Other wines age in neutral 228-l barrels for 2-10 years

lees

Wines are racked following malolactic fermentation only if necessary and remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling

Fining and Filtration

Wines are unfined and unfiltered

sulfur

Applied after malolactic and at bottling, with c. 25 mg/l total sulfur. Trousseau sees no added sulfur

Farming

Practicing organic

Treatments

Copper-sulfate only

Ploughing

Semi-annual ploughing (once by horse)

Soils

Yellow and white limestone-clay marls

Vines

Trained in Guyot and planted at 5,000 vines/ha, vines average 30 years old

Yields

Controlled through pruning and debudding

Harvest

Entirely manual, mid-September to early October

Sourcing

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Red wines see total destemming and a short cold soak before fermenting spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks. Cuvaison lasts c. 15 days. Cuvée des Moyne ferments spontaneously in neutral 228-l barrels. Savagnin ferments spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks.

Extraction

Red wines see pumpovers during cuvaison

Chaptalization

None

Pressing

Pneumatic pressing for reds, whole-cluster direct pneumatic pressing for whites

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, directly following alcoholic fermentation

Élevage

Trousseau ages 12 months in stainless-steel tanks. Other wines age in neutral 228-l barrels for 2-10 years

Lees

Wines are racked following malolactic fermentation only if necessary and remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling

Fining & Filtration

Wines are unfined and unfiltered

Sulfur

Applied after malolactic and at bottling, with c. 25 mg/l total sulfur. Trousseau sees no added sulfur

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