Tissot

History of Domaine Tissot

In 1962, André Tissot settled with his wife Mireille in Montigny-lès-Arsures, north of Arbois, inheriting a few ares of vines planted by his grandfather Maurice. He patiently expanded the property through sharecropping, leases and purchases until it reached around fifteen hectares. To distinguish his wines from those of his brothers, he put his wife’s first name on the labels—an unprecedented move in winemaking at the time. The estate’s name, André et Mireille Tissot, was born of that gesture.

After studying viticulture in Beaune and making formative trips to North Africa and Australia, Stéphane Tissot joined his father in 1989, at nineteen, then officially took the reins with his wife Bénédicte in 1990. Convinced that the Jura held exceptional terroirs, he began converting the estate to organic farming (certified in 1999) and then biodynamics, earning Demeter certification in 2004. The estate expanded through acquisitions, including Curon, La Mailloche, Les Bruyères and plots in Château-Chalon, to approach fifty hectares. Named among the winemakers of the year by Bettane and Desseauve and awarded three stars by the Guide de la RVF, Stéphane Tissot has become one of the faces of the Jura’s revival.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine Tissot

The vineyards lie mainly in the Arbois appellation, around Montigny-lès-Arsures and neighboring villages, with additional plots in the Côtes du Jura and Château-Chalon. The geological mosaic is exceptional: blue marl and Lias clay at La Mailloche, Triassic clay at Les Bruyères, gravel and stony limestone at Les Graviers, Bajocian limestone scree at Clos de la Tour de Curon, and deep clay at En Barberon in the southern part of the vineyard. Each soil leaves its own distinct signature, leading the Tissots to vinify plot by plot rather than blend.

All five Jura grape varieties are represented: Chardonnay and Savagnin for the whites, Trousseau, Poulsard and Pinot Noir for the reds. The estate’s jewel remains Clos de la Tour de Curon, a 0.72-hectare plot completely cleared and then replanted by Stéphane Tissot in 2002 at 12,000 vines per hectare, one of the highest planting densities in France. Work in the vineyard excludes all synthetic products: homemade compost, herbal teas, biodynamic preparations, copper treatments, plowing sometimes done by horse, and harvesting entirely by hand.

Winemaking at Domaine Tissot

In the cellar, the philosophy follows that of the vineyard: intervene as little as possible to let the site speak. Fermentations start with native yeasts from the cellar and the plots, without chaptalization or additives, and with extremely low doses of sulfur—or none at all for several cuvées. The reds often undergo three weeks of whole-cluster fermentation, without aggressive extraction, to preserve the fruit and finesse of the tannins. Yields are controlled and selection at harvest is rigorous.

Aging is lengthy and tailored to each wine, taking place in tanks, oak barrels and 600-liter casks, or terracotta amphorae, including for experimental skin-contact wines. Savagnin alone illustrates this diversity: the estate makes topped-up versions, versions aged under a veil of yeast without topping up for around thirty months, amphora-macerated wines and, finally, single-vineyard vins jaunes. This constant curiosity, extending even to distinguishing amphora wines by destemming method, explains the impressive number of cuvées produced each vintage.

The Cuvées of Domaine Tissot

Chardonnay Les Graviers: grown on very stony limestone soils, this Chardonnay has a floral, airy profile with a delicate powdery quality. Its structure is precise, taut and saline, with bright pear fruit. A finely etched, mouthwatering wine, perfect with delicate fish.

Chardonnay Les Bruyères: grown on Triassic clay, it develops a smokier, deeper character, often compared to the great white wines of Burgundy. Toasted notes, ripe white fruit and peaty minerality make for a dense, generous wine with excellent aging potential.

Chardonnay La Mailloche: an emblematic cuvée from an east-facing site of clay and blue marl, bottled separately since 2000. It combines subtle mineral bitterness with a textured, long palate and a structure that calls for several years in the cellar.

Chardonnay Clos de la Tour de Curon: the estate’s pinnacle micro-cuvée, from a 0.72-hectare plot of Bajocian limestone scree facing south and southwest, replanted at very high density. Toasted hazelnut, flint, mountain flowers and baked apple precede a generous, saline palate with magnificent tension. An absolute rarity.

Chardonnay Patchwork: a blend of plots on clay and limestone soils, conceived as a distillation of the house style. Ripe, generous fruit, notes of toasted grain and struck stone, and lively acidity: a concentrated, vibrant wine full of energy and very approachable.

Chardonnay En Barberon: from Lias clay soils in the Côtes du Jura, around twenty kilometers from Arbois. More Burgundian in style, taut and long, it develops lovely dried-flower notes with age. This is also the plot that produced the estate’s first white wine made without added sulfur.

Chardonnay Sursis: a distinctive Chardonnay planted on less than a hectare of old vines in Château-Chalon, the heartland of Savagnin. Complex and delicate, with white and yellow fruit, aniseed freshness giving way to citrus, and a chalky backbone, it finishes with vibrancy.

Savagnin Traminer: the topped-up version of Savagnin, aged without exposure to air to reveal the variety’s purity. Citrus, grapefruit, white flowers and salinity dominate, with bright acidity that makes it a remarkably easy-drinking white for the table.

Savagnin Amphore: a bold variation, with several months of skin contact and aging in terracotta amphorae without added sulfites. The result is an orange wine of splendid aromatic intensity, ranging from mirabelle plum to peat, honey to candied citron, with curry and green pepper along the way.

Savagnin sous voile: the traditional expression of the variety, aged for around thirty months in barrel without topping up, under a veil of yeast. Substantial body, pronounced acidity and notes of rancio, walnut and spice: a gastronomic white that develops beautifully with age.

Single-vineyard Vins Jaunes: true to its approach, the estate makes vin jaune from individual sites: En Spois, textured and expressive; Les Bruyères, rich and elegant from a south-facing site; La Vasée, more austere and mineral; and an exceptionally powerful cuvée aged for an extended 99 months. All spend at least six years and three months under a veil of yeast before being bottled in 62-cl clavelins.

Château-Chalon: the newest of the house’s major cuvées, from Savagnin plots acquired in the heart of vin jaune’s foremost appellation. Fine and delicate rather than showy, it offers green walnut, curry and sweet spices over a slender, saline backbone.

Poulsard Vieilles Vignes: from vines approaching ninety years of age, this Poulsard offers unusual depth for the variety. Very pale in color, with aromas of small red berries and dried flowers and an airy, saline palate that is remarkably easy to drink.

DD: a blend of Jura red varieties supplemented with Pinot Noir, vinified with very little sulfur or none at all. A silky red bursting with fruit, made for immediate enjoyment and now a cult favorite among natural wine enthusiasts.

Trousseau Singulier: the estate’s benchmark Trousseau, aged in oak barrels. Black fruit, forest floor, spices and a hint of game make for a structured wine that is both fleshy and fresh, capable of aging for a good ten years.

Trousseau Amphore: the same grape variety, this time placed in unburied 420-liter amphorae for several months of maceration. The wine gains purity of fruit and smoky, herbal notes, with particularly silky-textured tannins.

Pinot Noir Sous la Tour: from the limestone slope of Les Corvées sous la Tour, at the foot of the Tour de Curon, fermented as whole clusters for three weeks, then aged for a year in Burgundy barrels. Red and black fruit, sweet spices, exceptionally fine tannins and limestone minerality: undoubtedly one of the Jura’s finest Pinot Noirs.

Pinot Noir En Barberon: the southern expression, born of the clay soils of the Côtes du Jura. Fuller-bodied and more sun-kissed, it retains the tangy freshness and saline finish that define the house style.