2005 Arbois Pupillin Savagnin

The Houillon-Overnoy 2005 Arbois-Pupillin Savagnin – which had to be poured carefully off of its sediment – was only bottled last summer along with the 2010 Chardonnay, and while topped-off, conveys a certain degree of flor-like nutty piquancy and positive high-toned volatility. Subtle and intriguing notes of citrus oil, delectable fungus, musk, alkalinity, and toasty nuttiness inform a glycerin-rich palate as well as the nose. Without volunteering an exact figure, Houillon notes that it’s “probably closer to 15% than 14%” in alcohol, a function of a very ripe vintage, to be sure, but apparently by no means an anomaly for bottlings from this grape and estate. It took into the second year just for this wine to finish its alcoholic fermentation, Houillon adds. All of the above noted, there is not the least impression of heaviness, heat, or harshness in evidence here; on the contrary, the sense of electricity conveyed by citricity and the impression of levity and refreshment to a piquant, mouth-wateringly saline finish might be savage, but they are by no means awkward, let alone unpleasant! Ashen and saline aspects gain prominence and enhance the intrigue and mouthwatering savor of this singular libation as it takes on air. I suspect from my very limited experience, and from what I hear tell, that this vinous dynamo will be worth following for at least another two decades. (Houillon and Overnoy do make exceptions to such late release of Savagnin as this: for example, they already bottled a portion of the 2007 – though neither 2006 nor 2008 are expected to be bottled before they have had a half dozen years in barrel.) Since his late teens, Emmanuel Houillon has worked with his mentor and now partner Pierre Overnoy (whose name until recently also received top-billing on this Pupillin estate’s very old-fashioned label). The domaine, divided almost equally among Chardonnay, Savagnin, and Poulsard, has more than doubled in size – to a bit more than a dozen acres – in less than five years, thanks to property owned by Overnoy’s sister and to parcels acquired by Houillon himself. While Overnoy is happily still very much with us, he has long since become a legend in his own time, not only as the local viticultural guru and epitome of vinous Jura integrity, but more recently to a wider audience of self-proclaimed “natural wine” producers and devotees as a staunch (and long-time) advocate of sulfur-free elevage and bottling, whose wines are complexly expressive in their youth but also consistently stand the test of time. According to Overnoy, his father naturally (i.e. automatically, given his time and place) vinified the wine from his small holdings without any added sulfur, but Pierre came to his determination and his understanding of how to do this after visits in the early 1980s by sommelier-turned-consultant Jacques Neauport and a subsequent consultation with Neauport’s mentor, biochemist and Beaujolais specialist Jules Chauvet. That said, there is no particular secret or difference I could discern or learn to the methods these two vignerons follow. An entire book of conversations with Overnoy was recently published, and when time permits I hope to pore over it. Interestingly, Houillon and Overnoy report that their wines normally complete malo-lactic transformation before the end of the year in which they were harvested, even though completion of alcoholic fermentation often lasts not merely into the New Year but at times into a second year. Every few vintages, a barrel or two will be set-aside to become vin jaune, but I was not lucky enough on my first visit to taste an example. The wines are bottled manually, directly from barrel – hoisted with a lift – and without filtration. Spending time at the dining table of Overnoy’s homey domicile involves lots of convivial conversation and slow, thoughtful sipping, though in the end the number of wines tasted – at least on the occasion of this initial visit – was small. The Houillon-Overnoy wines represent amazingly, indeed – given their notoriety – improbably fine values; the problem is to score even a few bottles. Imported by Louis/Dressner Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 334 8191