In 2008, Guillaume d’Angerville, of the famous Domaine Marquis d’Angerville in Volnay, was eating at his favourite restaurant in Paris. As usual, he requested the sommelier pick a wine for him on the condition that it was anything but Burgundy. But he was in for a surprise.

When the sommelier poured the wine, Guillaume thought there must be some mistake. As soon as he tasted it, he was certain it came from the Cote de Beaune. No, the sommelier told him, it’s a Chardonnay from Jura. Astounded by the news, Guillaume set out to explore the region and its terroir, and soon began looking for a perfect site to launch a new estate.

After a long search for vineyards with the right geology, Domaine du Pélican was founded in 2012 with the purchase of five hectares from the biodynamically-run Chateau de Chavannes in Montigny-lès-Arsures. An additional 10 hectares were added, five of which were purchased from Jura legend Jacques Puffeney upon his retirement in 2014. These are geologically complex sites with multiple different soil types, from grey marl to limestone.

Run by Francois Duvivier, the long-time estate manager at Marquis d’Angerville, Domaine du Pélican is certified biodynamic. Much like their estate in Volnay, the work in the vineyards and cellar is meticulous. For the red wines, the grapes are destemmed and macerated on the skins for two weeks with once daily pumpovers, resulting in very gentle extraction. For the whites, the grapes are slowly pressed and fermented in a mix of neutral oak casks and barrels.

The wines of Domaine du Pélican are polished and beautifully expressive. They are some of the best being produced in Jura today.