Domaine du Pélican Arbois Poulsard 2016

The name Jacques Puffeney is as revered as it comes among Jura enthusiasts, and for good reason. From the age of 17, for 52 consecutive vintages, he turned out some of the most unreservedly classical wines in the region from a little less than 8 hectares in Arbois. In 2014, at the age of 69, he announced that he would be retiring and that his vines would be taken over by Guillaume d'Angerville and his team at Domaine du Pelican. The team had already been making some impressive wines for several years from their biodynamically farmed vineyards, but this acquisition raised their domaine several notches in our eyes. We were curious to see how they would handle such prized holdings. 2016 is the second vintage of this Poulsard made entirely from Puffeney's former vineyards (Monteiller, Au Bari, Lonchamp and Aux Loges), which are now in conversion to biodynamics. It's safe to say they've certainly done justice to these superlative terroirs. In the glass, the wine is a fascinating pale crimson shade that you can read a book through. The light color conveys the finesse and clarity that define this bottle, but there is much more to it than meets the eye. On the nose, you'll notice orange peel, wild strawberries and a saline, iron-tinged minerality. On the palate, the wine is especially bright, with lively acidity, delicate, powdery tannins and exceptional length.andnbsp;We'd challenge anyone who thinks that lighter colored reds have inherently less flavor and depth to sit down with a bottle of this.

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