Cellier Saint Benoit

There’s something quietly thrilling about the wines of Cellier Saint Benoit. Based in Arbois Pupillin, Benjamin Benoit’s domaine is still young by any standard, yet the clarity and character of his wines place them firmly among the Jura’s most compelling new voices. After time spent with Charles Lachaux, Amélie Berthaut, and Nicolas Faure in Burgundy, Benoit returned home earlier than planned in 2019 following the sudden passing of his father. That year marked his first vintage, and by 2020, he had full control of the domaine — bringing with him a clear and focused vision rooted in both tradition and precision.

Rather than blending parcels, Benoit vinifies and bottles his lieux-dits separately, giving each site its own voice. The 6.25 hectares of vines — planted to Chardonnay, Savagnin, Ploussard, Trousseau, and Pinot Noir — are farmed with care, and the cellar work is firmly low-intervention. Inspired by the techniques of Pierre Overnoy, Benoit works with minimal inputs: careful destemming of Ploussard by hand, whole-cluster ferments for Trousseau and Pinot Noir, gentle pressing of whole bunches for the whites, and aging in neutral oak. The use of sulphur is minimal, and in some cuvées, absent altogether. The result is a suite of wines that feel clear-eyed and precise, yet still vibrant and soulful — wines that make you stop and pay attention.

They’re not inexpensive, but they are important. As the Jura continues to evolve and mature, Benoit’s wines feel like a glimpse of where things are headed, a signpost for the future of Arbois Pupillin, honouring the region’s heritage but elevated by a new generation’s clarity of purpose.