Domaine Ligier Trousseau, Arbois, Jura, France 2023
Pickup available at DECANT Napa - 2999 Solano, Napa, CA
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Founded in the early 20th century and now led by third-generation vigneron Michel Ligier, Domaine Ligier is a family-run estate in the heart of the Jura’s Arbois appellation. Known for a broad range of traditional Jura wines, the domaine champions indigenous varieties and minimal-intervention techniques across its 10 hectares of vineyards.
- WINEMAKER: Michel Ligier
- FARMING: Sustainable
- VARIETY: 100% Trousseau
- TERROIR: Grown in the Arbois AOC, on limestone and marl soils characteristic of the Jura. Trousseau thrives here in well-drained, sun-exposed parcels that bring ripeness and structure to this typically light-bodied grape.
- VINIFICATION: Hand-harvested grapes; traditional fermentation in stainless steel with native yeasts to preserve freshness and typicity.
- AGING: Aged in stainless steel tanks to maintain purity and lift.
- TASTING NOTES: Aromatically expressive with red cherry, forest strawberry, and black tea notes. The palate is juicy and light-bodied, marked by bright acidity, subtle spice, and earthy undertones.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Comté cheese, mushroom risotto, grilled trout, charcuterie.
From our 2025 Bottle Cult:
Domaine Ligier Trousseau, Arbois, Jura, France 2023
I chose this wine for June, a transitional month where spring truly becomes summer. As the weather warms up, we often think of reaching for white or rosé, but light reds like Trousseau from the Jura are ideal for early summer.
The Jura region sits along the eastern edge of France near the Swiss border, with vineyards spread across limestone and marl soils dating back to the Jurassic period. Arbois is the beating heart of the region, and although it lies just east of Burgundy, Jura feels like a world apart. It is cooler, greener, and deeply rooted in rustic tradition, with small vineyards patchworked across hillside slopes. Trousseau is one of Jura’s native red grapes, offering more pigment and structure than Poulsard and more spice and dark berry fruit than Pinot Noir. Genetically, it belongs to the Savagnin family, alongside Grüner Veltliner and Chenin Blanc, and has a quiet but steady role in Jura’s winemaking history. Though historically a supporting grape, Trousseau has found new energy in recent years, being bottled on its own, or even thriving in cool sites in California and Oregon, where producers value its transparency and texture.
Domaine Ligier farms ten hectares of vines, matching each variety to the perfect soil type and a dedication to minimal intervention. This Trousseau is fermented in stainless steel with 12 to 15 days of maceration and then aged in vat for 10 to 12 months. There is no oak, just clean fruit and expression of the terroir.
This vintage is lifted and savory, with notes of strawberry, morello cherry, blackberry, and blackcurrant leaf. The tannins are fine, the fruit persistent, and the finished mineral, fresh, and a little savory. It is a light red that drinks easily at cellar temperature but still carries the complexity to stand up to grilled chicken, fish tacos, or anything smoky off the grill. It’s a perfect early summer red!
—Cara Patricia, DECANT Co-Founder, June 2025
Founded in the early 20th century and now led by third-generation vigneron Michel Ligier, Domaine Ligier is a family-run estate in the heart of the Jura’s Arbois appellation. Known for a broad range of traditional Jura wines, the domaine champions indigenous varieties and minimal-intervention techniques across its 10 hectares of vineyards.
- WINEMAKER: Michel Ligier
- FARMING: Sustainable
- VARIETY: 100% Trousseau
- TERROIR: Grown in the Arbois AOC, on limestone and marl soils characteristic of the Jura. Trousseau thrives here in well-drained, sun-exposed parcels that bring ripeness and structure to this typically light-bodied grape.
- VINIFICATION: Hand-harvested grapes; traditional fermentation in stainless steel with native yeasts to preserve freshness and typicity.
- AGING: Aged in stainless steel tanks to maintain purity and lift.
- TASTING NOTES: Aromatically expressive with red cherry, forest strawberry, and black tea notes. The palate is juicy and light-bodied, marked by bright acidity, subtle spice, and earthy undertones.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Comté cheese, mushroom risotto, grilled trout, charcuterie.
From our 2025 Bottle Cult:
Domaine Ligier Trousseau, Arbois, Jura, France 2023
I chose this wine for June, a transitional month where spring truly becomes summer. As the weather warms up, we often think of reaching for white or rosé, but light reds like Trousseau from the Jura are ideal for early summer.
The Jura region sits along the eastern edge of France near the Swiss border, with vineyards spread across limestone and marl soils dating back to the Jurassic period. Arbois is the beating heart of the region, and although it lies just east of Burgundy, Jura feels like a world apart. It is cooler, greener, and deeply rooted in rustic tradition, with small vineyards patchworked across hillside slopes. Trousseau is one of Jura’s native red grapes, offering more pigment and structure than Poulsard and more spice and dark berry fruit than Pinot Noir. Genetically, it belongs to the Savagnin family, alongside Grüner Veltliner and Chenin Blanc, and has a quiet but steady role in Jura’s winemaking history. Though historically a supporting grape, Trousseau has found new energy in recent years, being bottled on its own, or even thriving in cool sites in California and Oregon, where producers value its transparency and texture.
Domaine Ligier farms ten hectares of vines, matching each variety to the perfect soil type and a dedication to minimal intervention. This Trousseau is fermented in stainless steel with 12 to 15 days of maceration and then aged in vat for 10 to 12 months. There is no oak, just clean fruit and expression of the terroir.
This vintage is lifted and savory, with notes of strawberry, morello cherry, blackberry, and blackcurrant leaf. The tannins are fine, the fruit persistent, and the finished mineral, fresh, and a little savory. It is a light red that drinks easily at cellar temperature but still carries the complexity to stand up to grilled chicken, fish tacos, or anything smoky off the grill. It’s a perfect early summer red!
—Cara Patricia, DECANT Co-Founder, June 2025