Dear Louis, thank you very much for being the winegrower of the month, we love the Jura and we are delighted to talk together, you are for us the rising star and the domain to follow!!!
Before talking about the La Croisée Comtoise, tell us about yourself, your experience with great winegrowers or castles such as Château Haut Brion, and what has this given you to stand on your own two feet?
These professional experiences have taught me a lot. I was lucky to have spent 6 months on an internship at the Domaine de Chevalier, near Bordeaux. I took part in all the stages of vinification, especially in white, within this domain renowned for their quality. Then, I spent 5 years at the Château de Meursault (Burgundy), where I was in charge of all stages in the cellar. This is where I became aware of the importance of the terroir with no less than 70 vinified cuvées. I was able to develop rigor, precision and planning skills.
Your wife Chloe supports you in the family domain, I think that must be very motivating for the whole family?
My partner joined me full-time in January, which allowed for a better distribution of the workload. It is our objective to remain on a family scale in order to be able to control all the stages of production.
In 2021, you took over the fantastic terroir of a great character from Poligny, Xavier Reverchon must be proud of you, having already produced 1 vintage on this fantastic terroir, what is your feeling?
Our first vintage turned out to be complicated, with the frost we suffered in April 2021 and illnesses after a very rainy summer. We achieved 30% of a normal harvest. Despite everything, we realized the very good potential that there is on these terroirs, particularly in white, with good acidity in Savagnin.
All fans of yellow wines know the terroir of Xavier Rereverchon for the great potential of wines under veil, tell us about a white wine vintage from La Croise Comtoise that thrills you?
Our cuvée de Vieille Vigne 2016 is for me the best representative of our range. It is a blend of Chardonnay and Savagnin aged under veil for 6 years. It combines power, finesse, and great length in the mouth, which we appreciate on sailing wines.
In red wine from the 6 hectares of the estate, what is your favorite vintage for you and what is the most difficult Jura grape variety to dominate?
My favorite red wine is Trousseau, a Jura grape variety, it is characterized by its aromas of forest fruits and soft tannins. For me, Poulsard is the hardest variety to work with, from pruning to harvesting. It is sensitive to frost and disease, and fragile to heat because its skin is very thin. This is a real challenge for winegrowers.
And finally for our customers who love food and wine pairings, can you give us a great pairing that you recently made with a wine from the Comtoise wine region?
The perfect pairing for me is our Savagnin 2017 vintage, delicate and fine, with trout in Vin Jaune. The sharp, straight side of the Savagnin will break the fatty side of the cream.
Gorgeous !