d’Angerville: I want to build a true Jura estate

Guillaume d’Angerville of Domaine Marquis d’Angerville in Volnay has stressed the importance of his new Domaine du Pélican estate in Jura to not just be a “secondary Burgundy”.

Guillaume d’Angerville at the Hong Kong launch of Domaine du Pelican

At the launch of his Domaine du Pélican 2015 vintage in Hong Kong, Guillaume d’Angerville admitted that he has always been interested in wine producing regions outside of Burgundy and eventually settled on Jura, citing the geological similarities between the two places.

“The Jura has the same subsoil – limestone and clay – but with a higher clay content. It is only one hour from Volnay but receives twice as much rain as Burgundy. It has serious terroir and some very good local producers with long wine making traditions, but I want to raise its profile internationally, it has so much potential.”

Working with Domaine Marquis d’Angerville’s estate manager, François Duvivier, d’Angerville identified two properties with five hectares each in Arbois and bought them in 2012 but said that it was “quite a long process” in deciding where to settle.

“We started in 2008 and throughout 2009 we looked everywhere and everything in the Jura was wrong – too windy, too cold. But I’m very happy with where we are and what we’ve achieved so far. I want to build a true Jura estate, not a secondary Burgundy so I’m using a local Jura team who can make the best out of what we’ve got.”

D’Angerville has four wines, including Savagnin Ouillé, a non-oxidative style of Savagnin not in keeping with the Jura’s famous vin jaune which kept in barrel for around six years to develop a layer of yeast, similar to fino sherry.

His has only spent 10 months in barrel, regularly topped up during elevage to avoid oxidation with only 6,000 bottles released.  D’Angerville revealed that not much is known about the wine’s ability to age but that it was all “part of the fun.”

“This is a true experiment. I’m really out of my comfort zone in dealing with Savagnin but it’s fun to explore. Also has a winemaker, you don’t want to look at your wine as if it’s a statue, it’s meant for drinking soon after you’ve made it.”

There is also d’Angerville’s Chardonnay,  a single varietal Poulsard – a local Jura grape –  and Trois Cépages, a field blend of 60% Pinot Noir and Trousseau and Poulsard. All are available in Hong Kong via Corney & Barrow with a RRP of around HK$275.

Commenting on his Trois Cépages, d’Angerville said: “I chose to make a blend, because I don’t want to just do another Pinot Noir like in Burgundy. I’ll be making Chardonnay and Pinot Noir [in Volnay] for the rest of my life but Jura is a whole new adventure.”

The Domaine du Pelican range