Domaine Bornard

In the village of Pupillin in France, near the Swiss border, you will find the Bornard family. They have been growing their vines in the Jura for almost 30 years. Philippe is now retired and his son Tony is in charge.

With his almost 6 hectares, 30-year-old vines and an official certificate for biodynamic viticulture, Tony manages to produce beautiful wines. These come from local as well as international grape varieties, such as savagnin, trousseau and ploussard, but also chardonnay and pinot noir. The vineyards are situated rather high up and have a deep lime and clay soil. These circumstances ensure that the maturation does not happen too fast and that all aromas can fully develop.

The wines are fermented in stainless steel tanks and then transferred to old oak barrels. The duration of barrel aging depends on the type of wine, but this usually takes one year. The wines fall under one of two appellations: Côtes du Jura or Arbois-Pupillin. However, Tony has already launched a number of wines in 2018 without mentioning either of these appellations. He does this because he wants more freedom in winemaking, without the rules and restrictions. Not all wines are produced differently than prescribed, though. Take, for example, his Vin Jaune wine. This is such a classic wine of the Jura and that is why he doesn’t deviate from the prescribed production methods. The juice for Vin Jaune is fermented in old 288-litre barrels and the maturation lasts for at least 6 years. This creates a layer of yeast on the wine that protects the juice from oxygen. This ultimately creates a unique style! Other big names of the winery are the L'Ivresse de Noe, Trousseau Le Garde Corps and Le Vin de Ploussard Ouvre L'Esprit.

The year 2017 was a bad vintage for this region, resulting in a minimal yield. The yield was so low that it was not possible to produce all cuvées. That's why Philippe and Tony decided to make one single wine from the entire harvest. This resulted in a new wine: the Au Fil des Générations.

The Bornard family's wines are rare and often sell out quickly. It is with good reason that they are popular wines among connoisseurs and enthusiasts!