2018 Benedicte et Stephane Tissot Arbois Chardonnay Les Graviers

Stéphane Tissot is a tireless and vigorous promoter of individual sites and natural wines. He brings technological experience from his work in Australia and South Africa, and combines this with his ruthless yield reduction philosophy and very serious 'small batch' winemaking which is carried out as naturally as possible. Tissot plants mostly on clay and limestone, all sites are farmed biodynamically and yields are kept low, averaging only 30 h/l per hectare. Ferments are allowed to commence naturally and the still wines are bottled without filtration and little or no SO2 is added across the board. Vibrancy and fruit presence is a signature across all his wines. Given Stéphane is constantly experimenting and obsessively seeking improvements; he is at the forefront of the Jura revolution and produces terroir-driven wines of depth, intensity, interest and undeniable quality.

Les Graviers hails from five vineyards with vine age averaging over 60 years. Each plot contains a high proportion of limestone dominant soils which gives the wines from here a fine line of mineral tension and freshness.

Other Reviews....
Les Graviers is usually a cru that I put down the pecking order of Tissot’s wines, but in 2018, a year of chubbier, more potent chardonnay, it seemed to do the opposite and find that electricity and crackle I love from Tissot and Jura. It’s heady in scents of ripe apple, sea spray, flint, sandalwood and almonds. The palate is similar, opulent to a point but finds chalky pucker in texture and an amazing spine of saline acidity at its core. It has energy, vitality, drive and a general sense of deliciousness. A brilliant, wonderful and vibrant chardonnay. Pedigree plus. Drink 2021 - 2035.
95 points
Mike Bennie - The Wine Front