2022 Cellier Saint Benoit Arbois Pupillin Viandris Cuvee 1938 Melon a Queue Rouge Chardonnay

Benjamin Benoit is fast becoming one of the Jura’s most exciting voices. Working in Pupillin with traditional methods and minimal sulphur, his site-specific wines offer a precise, elegant expression of Jura terroir. Cellier Saint Benoit sets a new standard for quality in the region.

From a 0.1 ha plot planted at over 10,000 vines/ha by Benjamin Benoit’s great-grandmother in 1938—also the birth year of his grandfather. The variety, Melon à Queue Rouge, is an old Jura mutation of Chardonnay named for the red-tinged stems. Once widespread, its low yields and small berries led to a decline in plantings post-1960s. The vineyard lies on limestone soils at high elevation in Viandris. As with the domaine’s other whites, it is whole cluster pressed and aged in neutral barrels. A rare, old-vine Chardonnay selection handled with care to highlight its inherent acidity, structure, and historical significance.

Other Reviews....
The 2023 was still in barrel, so we tasted the 2022 Chardonnay Viandris Cuvée 1938, which is more reductive and flinty. It comes from the family's oldest vines, which were planted by his great-grandmother, so he added the planting year to the wine's name. He switched this plot to a high canopy in 2024, so we will see the change in future vintages. The soils are marl with "éboulis calcaire," or limestone scree, on the surface. The wine already shows more mineral, serious and intense than the other Chardonnay. It reveals a nice balance, a nice texture and very clean aromas and flavors. It's perfumed and attractive and makes you go back to the glass over and over again. It's not a shy wine at 14% alcohol, and it's round and powerful. This shows very high potential. They knew what they were doing in the past... 1,022 bottles produced. It was bottled in February 2024. Drink 2025-2032.
95 points
Luis Gutiérrez - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate