Philippe Chatillon

Philippe Chatillon is one of the quiet greats of the Jura. Before making his own wine he was a sommelier and taught viticulture, then spent 18 years running the vineyards and cellar at Domaine de la Pinte in Arbois.

He left the Pinte in 2009, partly because he wanted to make wine without adding sulphur, and in 2013 started his own tiny domaine. He is based in Poligny, with plots in Arbois, around Passenans and a small piece of Château-Chalon, adding up to around three and a half hectares.

His son Anatole has worked alongside him since 2019 and is taking over the domaine. We have visited them and their vineyards, and we honestly think these are some of the very best wines made in the Jura today.

La Grande Chaude comes from a lieu-dit in Passenans and is made as both a red, from Pinot Noir, Trousseau and a little Poulsard and Savagnin, and a white from Chardonnay. Le Sage Vagnin is a Savagnin topped up in barrel, fresh and precise, and Les Nouvelles is Arbois Savagnin made in both the topped-up and the oxidative style.

Amphore is aged in clay, En Marche is made from the rare Melon à Queue Rouge, a local red-stalked form of Chardonnay, and Puits Saint Pierre is another of his whites. In good years there is a tiny amount of Vin Jaune, often only a few hundred bottles.

Total production is under 8,000 bottles a year, so most wines are one per order. Check the list below for what we have right now.

All the vineyard work is done by hand, often with a pickaxe and a backpack sprayer filled with his own herbal and compost teas. The soils are the classic Jura mix of marl, clay and limestone, and the grapes are Savagnin, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Trousseau, Poulsard, Melon à Queue Rouge and some Gamay.

In the cellar Philippe works with old barrels and 300-litre amphorae, and some Savagnin ages under a veil of yeast. He also practises what he calls bio-harmony: he plays a crystal harp and singing bowls to the wines, believing the sound helps them find their balance.

No sulphur goes in, and neither does anything else. The wines are bottled by gravity and have a depth and length that very few Jura wines can match.

Who is Philippe Chatillon?

A Jura winemaker who ran Domaine de la Pinte for 18 years before starting his own domaine in 2013. His son Anatole now works with him.

Where is Philippe Chatillon based?

In Poligny, Jura, with vines in Arbois, Passenans and Château-Chalon.

Does Philippe Chatillon add sulphur?

No. Making wine without added sulphur was one of the reasons he left Domaine de la Pinte to start his own domaine.

Does Philippe Chatillon really play music to his wines?

Yes. He calls it bio-harmony and plays a crystal harp and singing bowls in the cellar to help the wines find their balance.

How much wine does Philippe Chatillon make?

Very little. Production is under 8,000 bottles a year from around three and a half hectares.

What is Melon à Queue Rouge?

A rare local form of Chardonnay with red stalks. Philippe bottles it on its own as En Marche.