Le Garde Corps 2016 | Philippe Bornard | Arbois Pupillin | Jura

Philippe Bornard is a third-generation vigneron in Pupillin, the small village south of Arbois that calls itself the world capital of Ploussard and whose Triassic marls, Kimmeridgian limestone and grey clay soils have earned it its own authorised mention within AOC Arbois. His father sold grapes to the Fruitière de Pupillin cooperative; Philippe did the same for years until his neighbour and friend Pierre Overnoy — the patriarch of Jura natural wine, who has been making wine without added sulfur since the 1980s — convinced him to vinify independently. In 2005 he left the cooperative and set up his cellar in the basement of the oldest building in the village.

The 7 hectares of vineyard — Ploussard, Trousseau, Savagnin, Chardonnay and the rare Melon à Queue Rouge — are farmed on the red, grey and black marls of Pupillin's limestone amphitheatre. The estate has been certified organic since 2010 and biodynamic since 2011. Hand-harvested, indigenous yeasts, no filtration, no fining agents, little or no added sulfur. Whites are made in two styles: ouillé (non-oxidative, topped up) and sous voile (under a yeast veil). Within a decade, Wine Advocate's Luis Gutiérrez described him as "an absolute star of the zone." Philippe retired in 2017; his son Tony took over, expanding the estate to 11.5 hectares and maintaining the same philosophy, labelling most wines as Vin de France.

Le Garde Corps is 100% Trousseau from old vines on south-facing limestone marl. Its name — the French architectural term for a guardrail or safety barrier — speaks directly to the wine's character: fine, taut tannins, lively natural acidity and the structural capacity to age five to ten years, which few Jura reds can match.