The Alsatian Parcellaire Purist
Domaine Thill is one of the most meticulous and principled estates in the southern Jura — a 6-hectare organic and biodynamic domaine in Trenal, near Gevingey, about 45 kilometres south of Arbois in the Sud Revermont. Eric Thill is originally from Alsace, where his family makes wine on the Schlossberg. After completing his oenology studies in Dijon, he and his wife Bérengère fell in love with the Jura and settled here in 2007, purchasing just under 3 hectares of land. They built both the winery and the cellar entirely by themselves. The estate received Ecocert organic certification in 2015 and Demeter biodynamic certification in 2019, and has since expanded to 6 hectares. Eric's philosophy is deeply influenced by his Alsatian roots: he prefers to work with single grape varieties, expressing each one separately. The vineyard is planted to more than 50% Chardonnay, alongside Savagnin, Pinot Noir, and Poulsard, with vines averaging 50 years old. Yields are kept extremely low — around 25 hectolitres per hectare. The estate is a member of Le Nez dans le Vert, the informal group of Jura organic growers. Eric works only with his own fruit, never purchasing grapes, with the quest to express the unique characteristics of each place and grape. In the cellar, all wines are spontaneously fermented with native yeasts. A tiny dose of sulfur is added at pressing because the pressing is very gentle and can take a long time, but otherwise sulfur is kept to a bare minimum. For white wines there is no significant maceration time, while for reds the maceration time depends on the vintage. The wines are bottled when Eric feels they are ready — between 6 and 18 months — with no filtering and minimal intervention. The estate uses recyclable corks and recycled bottles to minimize their carbon footprint, and the vineyards are surrounded by forests that provide extraordinary biodiversity. These are clean, floral, terroir-driven wines that reflect Eric's Alsatian precision and the Jura's wild soul.
From the Schlossberg to the Sud Revermont
Eric Thill is originally from Alsace, where his family makes wine on the famous Schlossberg — one of the most celebrated vineyards in the region. After completing his oenology studies in Dijon, Eric and his wife Bérengère travelled to the Jura in 2007, looking for a place to establish their own estate. They fell in love with the Sud Revermont — the southern part of the Jura, about 45 kilometres south of Arbois — and purchased just under 3 hectares of land near the village of Trenal, close to the commune of Gevingey [^164^][^167^].
They built everything from scratch — both the winery and the cellar were constructed entirely by themselves. This DIY ethos reflects Eric's hands-on approach: every decision, from the vineyard layout to the cellar design, was made with intention and care. The estate received Ecocert organic certification in 2015, and by 2019 had achieved Demeter biodynamic certification. The holdings have since expanded to 6 hectares, with the original biodynamic principles maintained across all new plantings [^164^][^168^].
Eric's Alsatian heritage is palpable in his winemaking. He prefers to work with single grape varieties — a philosophy deeply rooted in Alsace's tradition of varietal purity. "Eric prefers wines from a single grape variety," as one importer noted. This "parcellaire" approach means each wine is a pure expression of one grape from one place, with no blending to mask imperfections or create artificial complexity. The estate is a member of Le Nez dans le Vert, the informal group of Jura organic growers, placing them firmly within the region's natural wine community [^164^][^166^].
"Eric prefers wines from a single grape variety."
— Pieksman Wines
Trenal, Gevingey & the Forest Edge
The estate's 6 hectares are located around the village of Trenal, near Gevingey, in the southern Jura known as the Sud Revermont. This is a different world from the more famous Arbois and Pupillin — quieter, more rural, with vineyards nestled close to forests that provide extraordinary biodiversity. The vines are surrounded by woodland, creating a natural ecosystem that supports beneficial insects, birds, and microbial life essential for organic and biodynamic farming [^167^][^170^].
The soils are diverse and complex. The Montbouchon lieu-dit features clay sitting over Bajocian limestone. Les Grandes Vignes — the estate's most sought-after parcel — has the prized grey, red, and blue marl that defines the Jura's finest terroirs. Les Molates also benefits from blue and grey marl, while Les Longes Combes has clay soils. This geological diversity allows Eric to produce wines of distinct character from each parcel, even within the same variety. The vines average 50 years of age, with some older plantings contributing concentration and depth [^170^].
The planting is dominated by Chardonnay — more than 50% of the estate — alongside Savagnin, Pinot Noir, and Poulsard. Yields are kept extremely low at around 25 hectolitres per hectare, well below the regional average. All work is done by hand, with careful attention to biodiversity and sustainability. The estate uses recyclable corks and recycled bottles to minimize its carbon footprint. The forest edge location means the vineyards benefit from natural pest control and a cool, fresh microclimate that preserves acidity even in warm vintages [^164^][^167^].
The estate's most celebrated parcel, with the sought-after grey, red, and blue marl that defines the Jura's finest terroirs. This is where the estate's Chardonnay and Savagnin achieve their most complex and mineral expressions. The marl's high limestone content gives the wines their distinctive saline backbone and ageing potential. Vines here are among the oldest on the estate.
A parcel with clay soils sitting over Bajocian limestone — a geological formation that provides excellent drainage and encourages deep root systems. The clay retains moisture and nutrients, while the limestone ensures the wines maintain their crisp acidity. This is a terroir that produces wines of balance and finesse, with a particular freshness that sets them apart.
Another parcel benefiting from the classic Jura marl soils, with blue and grey formations that give the wines their mineral complexity. The combination of clay and limestone creates a soil that is both fertile and challenging, forcing the vines to work and producing grapes of intense concentration. This parcel contributes to the estate's Chardonnay and red wine cuvées.
The vineyards are surrounded by forests that provide a natural buffer against pests and diseases, reducing the need for intervention. The estate uses recyclable corks and recycled bottles, and all farming follows biodynamic principles with Ecocert and Demeter certification. This is viticulture that sees the vineyard as part of a larger ecosystem, not an isolated industrial plot.
Single Varieties, Single Parcels, Native Yeasts
Eric Thill's cellar philosophy is an extension of his Alsatian training and his Jura terroir: single varieties, single parcels, native yeasts, minimal sulfur, no filtering. He works only with his own fruit, never purchasing grapes, with the explicit goal of expressing the unique characteristics of each place and grape. This "parcellaire" method is labour-intensive and demanding, but it produces wines of unusual clarity and site-specificity [^167^][^170^].
All wines are spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts. A tiny dose of sulfur is added at pressing — the only intervention in an otherwise natural process — because the pressing is very gentle and can take a long time, creating a risk of oxidation. Otherwise, sulfur is kept to a bare minimum. For white wines, there is no significant maceration time; the focus is on purity, freshness, and terroir expression. For reds, the maceration time depends on the vintage — some years demand longer extraction, others require a lighter touch [^167^][^171^].
The wines are aged on fine lees for several months, with the duration varying by cuvée and vintage. Eric bottles when he feels the wine is ready — anywhere from 6 to 18 months after harvest. There is no filtering, no fining, and no artificial additives. The result is a range of wines that are clean, floral, and deeply expressive of their specific parcels. The Chardonnays are mineral and saline; the Savagnins are complex and nutty; the reds are delicate and aromatic. This is natural wine with an Alsatian sense of precision — not wild or funky, but pure and terroir-driven [^167^][^171^].
The Parcellaire Method — Alsace Meets the Jura
Eric Thill's "parcellaire" approach — working with single varieties from single parcels — is a direct inheritance from his Alsatian roots. In Alsace, the tradition of bottling Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris as pure varietal expressions is centuries old. Eric has brought this philosophy to the Jura, where blending is more common and the oxidative "sous-voile" style often dominates. His Chardonnay from Les Grandes Vignes is not blended with Savagnin or aged under flor. It is Chardonnay, pure and simple, from one parcel, expressing the grey, red, and blue marl of that specific site. His Savagnin is Savagnin, not a component in a field blend. This purity of intention is rare in the Jura, where the fashion for experimentation sometimes obscures terroir. Eric's wines are a reminder that restraint can be as radical as excess — that the quiet expression of one grape from one place can be more profound than the loudest blend. The result is wines that taste of Alsace's discipline and the Jura's wildness, in equal measure.
Clean, Floral & Uncompromising
Domaine Thill occupies a distinctive position in the Jura's natural wine landscape. They are fully certified — both Ecocert organic and Demeter biodynamic — and deeply committed to sustainability, yet their wines are not extreme or experimental. They are clean, floral, and terroir-driven, with an Alsatian precision that sets them apart from the more rustic or oxidative styles of their northern neighbours. As Wink Lorch noted, Eric's "particular style, influenced by his Alsace origins, won't suit everyone, but his wines are very clean" [^166^].
The estate's membership in Le Nez dans le Vert places them within the Jura's most respected organic community, alongside Stéphane Tissot, Domaine Pignier, and other pioneers. Yet their location in the Sud Revermont — far from the tourist trails of Arbois and Pupillin — gives them a independence and quiet focus that is rare in a region increasingly dominated by international attention. Eric and Bérengère work without fanfare, building their estate parcel by parcel, vintage by vintage [^166^][^167^].
The future is focused on continued refinement of the parcellaire approach, deeper exploration of each site's potential, and maintaining the biodynamic practices that have defined the estate since its founding. With 6 hectares now under cultivation, the Thills have reached a scale that allows for a diverse range of cuvées while remaining small enough for hands-on, detail-oriented farming. Their wines are now distributed internationally, finding an audience among natural wine enthusiasts who appreciate both their purity and their distinctiveness. Domaine Thill is proof that the Jura's southern reaches have as much to offer as the more famous northern appellations — and that an Alsatian sensibility can find a natural home in the wild Jura hills [^167^][^170^].
"His particular style, influenced by his Alsace origins, won't suit everyone, but his wines are very clean — his wines are fully certified organic."
— Wink Lorch, Jura Wine
The Domaine Thill Range
All wines are farmed biodynamically (Demeter & Ecocert certified), hand-harvested, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and bottled without filtering. Sulfur is minimal — a tiny dose at pressing only. The range follows Eric's parcellaire philosophy: single varieties from single parcels, with no blending. Wines are released when Eric feels they are ready, between 6 and 18 months after harvest [^167^][^170^].
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**France:**
**Vins du Jura - Eric et Bérengère Thill (Official Site):** vinsjurathill.weebly.com (Direct contact for the winery)
**Bio Biodynamie Nature:** biobiodynamienature.com
**vignapart:** vignapart.com
**The Wine I Love:** thewineilove.com
**Vins Etonnants:** vins-etonnants.com
**United States:**
**Guildford Green Wine Company:** guildfordgreen.com
**Wine-Searcher.com (Global Search - check for US listings):** wine-searcher.com
**Vivino US:** vivino.com (Lists some wines and potential retailers)
**United Kingdom:**
**Wine Affairs:** wineaffairs.co.uk
**AdVINture (London):** wine-searcher.com (Mentioned as a UK retailer on Wine-Searcher)
**Italy:**
**Callmewine:** callmewine.com
**Canada (Quebec):**
**SAQ.COM:** saq.com (Quebec's liquor board, lists some wines)