Jeremy Arnaud Bourgogne Tonnerre Les Huees 2020

Born into a winemaking family in Chablis, Jérémy Arnaud chose to prove himself independently, founding his own micro-domaine in 2016 with a single 0.55-hectare parcel rather than joining the family estate. Trained at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune and holding a National Diploma in Oenology, he broadened his experience across Meursault, Beaune, and Pauillac before returning to Chablis to chart his own course. The domaine has since grown to nearly five hectares, all farmed and vinified by Jérémy alone — no herbicides, hand harvesting, native yeast fermentations, no fining or filtration, sulphur kept to a minimum. His philosophy is simple: let the terroir and vintage speak without interference.

THE TERROIR — LES HUÉES

The «Les Huées» lieu-dit sits on the left bank of the Armançon River, on a south-east facing slope above the commune of Tonnerre in the Yonne, at the northern edge of Burgundy’s orbit — immediately adjacent to the Chablis appellation and sharing its geological DNA. The soils are poor clay-limestone, very stony towards the ridgeline, over a deep subsoil of late and middle Kimmeridgian marl dating from the Jurassic period — the same fossil-rich marine limestone that defines Chablis Premier Cru at its finest. Vines were planted between 1990 and 1996, giving them the age and deep root systems required to draw genuine mineral complexity from this ancient terroir.

VINIFICATION

Grapes are hand-harvested and gently pressed as whole clusters. Fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts, and the wine is aged for a minimum of 16 months across a combination of stainless steel tank and old oak barrels, building texture and weight without imposing wood character. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

TASTING NOTES — 2020

Eye: Pale gold with bright green highlights, limpid and precise.

Nose: Elegant and restrained, with crisp white peach, green apple, and lemon zest lifted by white flowers and a gentle struck-flint minerality. A subtle nutty creaminess from the lees ageing adds depth without weight.

Palate: Medium-bodied, with a taut, focused attack and vivid acidity that drives through to a long, saline finish. Stone fruit and citrus flavours unfold alongside wet slate and almond, with fine mineral tension giving the wine energy and precision. The texture is silky rather than broad — a hallmark of the 2020 vintage’s balance of ripeness and freshness.

FOOD PAIRING

Shellfish and crustaceans, grilled white fish, Dover sole meunière, fresh goat’s cheese, vegetable-based dishes with butter or cream sauces.