It all started when Burgundy legend Guillaume D’Angerville took a break from making knockout Volnay to grab a glass of wine at le Taillevant. Per his custom, he asked the somm to serve him anything but Burgundy, blind. When he tasted the wine that was poured, he told the somm they must have made a mistake. This was white Burgundy. Top-notch white Burg, in fact.
Except it wasn’t. Turns out, the somm had poured a glass of Stephen Tissot’s Chardonnay Arbois Les Bruyères 2005. The marquis was so taken with the Jura Chardonnay that he set out to make his own — and Domaine du Pelican was born.
The soils of Jura and Burgundy were formed at the same time, but they have some key differences. In Burgundy, the marl is white. In the Jura, it’s gray and blue. Where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay dominate in Burgundy, you can find a cornucopia of grape varieties and wine styles in the Jura. One of the more well-known is the oxidative style, but Pelican prefers a more Burgundian approach that involves topping up the barrels (ouillé) to prevent the flor from forming.
If you’re a Burgundy lover, Pelican is a must. If you’re a Jura lover. Pelican is a must. If you just love great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, well…you get the picture. We receive more than our fair share of these amazing wines, but even so, they don’t stick around for long. Get them while the gettin’s good.
