Produced from a mix of Ploussard (60%) and Pinot Noir (40%) which are co-fermented. The wine is then aged in stainless steel for one year and one year in 225 liter barrels. A single vineyard wine, the Bernardines site is within the confines of the village of vadans.
Joseph Dorbon initiated his work as "vigneron" in 1996. He works three hectares of vineyards situated in his village of Vadans, six kilometers north of Arbois and across the Route Nationale from the fabled town of Montigny-les-Arsures. The vines are hillside plantings, southeast facing, at approximately 1,000 feet of altitude (322 meters). Dorbon works his vineyards following the best ecological practices and is now recognized as on the path to organic classification ("en conversion biologique"). The soil is worked, turned effectively twice a year, the second time in June with the aid of a horse. Vegetation is essentially left in between the vineyard rows with the weeding done only underneath and immediately around the individual vines.
The vineyards are planted to a mix of Trousseau, Ploussard and Pinot Noir for the reds (30%) and Chardonnay and Savagnin (70% for the whites). All grapes are hand harvested.
The reds are each vinified separately after being destemmed. The alcoholic fermentation and cuvaison usually lasts for 15 days or so. Both the Ploussard and Trousseau are aged for one year in stainless steel while the Pinot Noir rests in 225 liter barrels for an eighteen-month period.
