Arbois Pinot Noir Clos Saint Laurent, Domaine du Pélican 2020

Full bottle 1,297 g. After much hesitation, they decided to produce a 100% Pinot Noir cuvée for the first time in 2018, made mostly from their Clos St-Laurent parcel located behind the winery, at an elevation of approximately 340–380 m. The 2019 and this vintage are 100% from Clos St-Laurent. The soil is made of limestone scree (éboulis calcaires) over grey marls and the vines are between 10 and 45 years old. Aged in burgundian barrels and foudre. No new oak.
Mid cherry red. Stunningly attractive aroma of pure, fragrant, wild, dark-red fruits, the wildness highlighted by the refined and fresh herbal stemmy character (some whole bunch?). The floral notes remind of peony and white pepper. But it's fragrant rather than pretty and less flirtatious, more profound, than the Trois Cépages. Tannins are very different from what you might expect from Pinot Noir in a top vineyard in Burgundy. Not as silky (yet) but super-fine and dry, a little bit chewy and yet well polished. This has a long way to go but hard to resist now. Stony, lightly peppery, refreshing persistence. Probably the most polished of all the Dom du Pélican reds yet still has the Jura mountainous/slightly wild character. I want to use the word authentic but it seems too much of a cliché. (JH)