France · Arbois

Vins Jérôme Arnoux

Jura wines spanning bright Arbois Chardonnay, pale spicy Poulsard and Savagnin aged under veil.

The producer

Jérôme Arnoux works from AOC Arbois holdings while managing Cellier des Tiercelines, drawing on Chardonnay, Savagnin, Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir. Indigenous-yeast fermentation, minimal or no filtration and low sulfur use keep the range close to its fruit: Initial Chardonnay is dry and light with citrus and apple, while Poulsard Subtil brings delicate red fruit, warming spice and gentle grip.

The cellar also reaches Jura’s oxidative side through Savagnin aged under veil. Vin Jaune 2016 has layered oxidative aromas, a textured palate and a persistent savoury finish, creating a marked contrast with the fresh whites and light reds. The wider range includes Crémant-du-Jura, Macvin-du-Jura and Château-Chalon alongside Arbois wines.

Known for

Jura’s fresh-to-oxidative spectrum, from Arbois Poulsard to Savagnin aged under veil.

Notable facts

The story

From apprenticeship to cellar master

At 17, Jérôme Arnoux began formal training with Stéphane Tissot, spending about a decade learning viticulture and winemaking. He then worked across Jura estates for more than 20 years as a salaried vineyard employee, carrying out the daily work of vines before taking on greater cellar responsibility. Arnoux later became cellar master at Cellier des Tiercelines while cultivating his own holdings in AOC Arbois. His route runs from a teenage apprenticeship with a named Jura winemaker, through years in other people’s vineyards, to making wine from his own Arbois ground alongside the work of a historic cellar.

From the atlas

Vins Jérôme Arnoux

At A Glance

Vins Jérôme Arnoux works in Jura from AOC Arbois holdings while Jérôme Arnoux also manages Cellier des Tiercelines. Chardonnay, Savagnin, Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir lead to a range that can be dry and citrus-driven, pale and spicy, or deliberately oxidative through Savagnin aged beneath a veil.

The Producer

Jérôme Arnoux was born in Montigny-les-Arsures, described as Jura’s first wine-growing village and closely associated with Trousseau. His own Arbois vineyards and work at Cellier des Tiercelines bring several Jura grapes into one cellar practice: indigenous-yeast fermentation, little filtration and low sulfur use leave Chardonnay, Poulsard and Savagnin with room to show fruit, texture and aromatic detail.

Place

Arbois is the central appellation for Arnoux’s own holdings, so it is where the range begins: Chardonnay can become a dry white with citrus and apple, while Poulsard becomes a light red with red-fruit perfume and spice. Beyond Arbois, Crémant-du-Jura adds sparkling wine, Macvin-du-Jura adds a fortified-sweet style, and Château-Chalon carries Savagnin into Jura’s long-aged oxidative tradition.

Soil And Site

The supplied record identifies AOC Arbois but not named parcels, soil types, slopes or exposures. The useful physical distinction therefore lies in the grapes and the farming: Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir provide red-wine options, while Chardonnay and Savagnin make whites whose acidity, fruit or oxidative depth are shaped further in the cellar.

Story

Arnoux works from La Cave de la Reine Jeanne, a Gothic medieval cellar built in 1322 by a daughter of the Dukes of Burgundy and classified as a historical monument. That old stone setting contains a contemporary working range rather than a single style: fresh Arbois Chardonnay and Poulsard sit beside Savagnin wines aged under veil, allowing bright fruit, oxidative nuttiness and long savoury finishes to coexist under the same name.

Vineyards And Cellar

In the vineyard, Arnoux uses no synthetic pesticides or insecticides. Copper and sulfur are used as contact treatments at minimal doses, alongside soil-enhancement practices; the result is a farming programme centred on the vines and their ground rather than systemic products.

In the cellar, fermentation relies exclusively on yeasts from grape skins, with minimal or no filtration and minimal sulfur dosing. These choices keep handling light: the fresh wines can retain their citrus, apple and red-fruit character, while Savagnin has the time and space for the layered oxidative aromas associated with ageing under veil.

Wines

The red side is led by Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir. Poulsard Subtil is the most clearly documented example: delicate red fruit and warming spice arrive in a light-bodied frame, with brightness carrying the wine rather than tannin or weight. It is a red built for perfume, freshness and a gentle grip.

For whites, Initial Chardonnay 2022 shows the fresher register. It is dry, light and fresh, with citrus and apple at the centre; Chardonnay’s acidity keeps the palate moving while the wine remains more about fruit and lift than oxidative notes. Oak ageing is documented for this cuvée, but its stated profile remains clean and direct.

Vin Jaune 2016 takes Savagnin in the other direction. Ageing under veil creates an oxidative wine with layered aromas, aromatic force, texture and a persistent finish. Alongside these still wines, the range also includes Crémant-du-Jura, Macvin-du-Jura and Château-Chalon, giving the estate sparkling, fortified-sweet and long-aged Savagnin expressions.

In The Glass

Across the range, the first contrast is aromatic. Initial Chardonnay opens on citrus and apple; Poulsard Subtil shifts to delicate red fruit and warming spice; Vin Jaune moves toward the deeper, oxidative register created by Savagnin’s time under veil. The grapes make the contrast legible before the labels do.

On the palate, Chardonnay stays dry, light and fresh, with acidity keeping its fruit taut. Poulsard is light in body with bright lift and modest grip, so its spice reads as perfume rather than heaviness. Vin Jaune brings greater texture and a longer, more savoury finish, its oxidative character carrying well beyond the first sip.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Poulsard Subtil. It is an Arbois red made from a grape that favours pale colour, delicate red fruit and a light texture over dense tannin. Arnoux’s documented version adds warming spice and bright structural lift, so the wine feels lively without becoming thin. It offers a direct encounter with one of Jura’s defining red grapes and with the fresher, low-handling side of this cellar.

Anecdote

At 17, Jérôme Arnoux began formal training with Stéphane Tissot and spent about a decade learning viticulture and winemaking. He then worked across Jura estates for more than 20 years as a salaried vineyard employee, building experience in the daily work of vines before taking on cellar responsibility. Arnoux later became cellar master at Cellier des Tiercelines while cultivating his own holdings in AOC Arbois. The sequence runs from a teenage apprenticeship with a named Jura winemaker, through years in other people’s vineyards, to making wine from his own Arbois ground alongside the demands of a historic cellar.

Final Word

Arnoux is worth seeking out for the range of Jura in one address: dry Chardonnay with citrus and apple, pale Poulsard with red fruit and spice, and Savagnin shaped by veil ageing into a textured oxidative wine. Begin with Poulsard Subtil, then move to Initial Chardonnay or Vin Jaune according to whether freshness or savoury depth is calling.

Sources

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