Domaine Courbet

Jura
France
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Domaine Courbet

Jura
France
France
PRODUCER
Jean-Marie and Damien Courbet
ESTABLISHED
1869
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
REGION
Jura
France
CITY / VILLAGE
CLIMATE
Continental
ELEVATION
SIZE
7.5 hectares

About

Domaine Courbet was founded in 1869 on a poly-culture model near the famed village of Château-Chalon in the Upper Seille of the Jura. Since then, they’ve gradually phased out the grains and livestock, but have trebled down on the vines – today the Domaine is one of the largest landowners in Château-Chalon with around 4.25ha of vines in the appellation and 9.5ha total throughout the region.

Much of this expansion has been under Damien Courbet, the current winemaker, who officially joined the family winery in 2003 after working in California with Jim Clendenen at Au Bon Climat and France with Olivier Zind Humbrecht in Alsace, Olivier Merlin in the Macôn and Nicolas Potel in Burgundy. In 2011, Damien took over the Domaine entirely, although his father, Jean-Marie, is still a familiar sight on the estate.

As well as enlarging the domaine, primarily in the communes of Domblans and Menétru, Damien has transformed the domaine’s farming – they are currently all certified organic and practicing biodynamic with a short pruning season and regular plowing to maximize sunlight and warmth.
Similarly, Damien has modernized the winemaking, eschewing chaptalization, bringing in concrete vessels, insisting on indigenous yeasts and lowering additions to a sage 20-30ppm. Despite a largely hands-off approach to winemaking, the wines never veer towards the chaotic or muddy, embracing instead a bracing purity that calls to mind the work of Stephané Tissot or Sylvan Pataille.

Although we here in New York tend to think of the Jura as the domain of rock star winemakers and a never ending hype train, there’s not yet an anointed king of Château-Chalon. Tasting through Damien’s work, it’s not hard to see the future stirrings of a wine cult icon. As of today, quantities are generous on all of his wines, but with each subsequent vintage, we find they disappear quicker as more and more people notice their poise. In 5 years when these wines become impossible to find, don’t say we didn’t warn you – luckily for all of us, they happen to age quite well.

Products

Cotes du Jura Chardonnay ‘Les Isles’

TYPE
Still / White
VARIETAL
Chardonnay
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
DETAILS

Organic and biodynamic. 100% Chardonnay. From a plot called Les Isles, a sloped vineyard with deep + Jurassic clay-limestone soils planted in 1973. South exposure. Hand-harvested. A whole grape pneumatic pressing and vinified in oak barrels. Aged for 20 months in topped-up barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

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Cotes du Jura Chardonnay ‘Les Rondos’

TYPE
Still / White
VARIETAL
Chardonnay
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
DETAILS

Organic and biodynamic. 100% Chardonnay. Sourced from the vineyard les Rondos - 0.7 hectares located mid-slope and planted in the winter of 1987-88 – the vines sit on Jurassic clay-limestone soil. South-west exposition. Hand-harvested. Whole grape pneumatic pressing and vinified in oak barrels (10% new oak). Aged for 18 months in topped-up barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

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Cotes du Jura Blanc ‘Tradition’ (Chard/Sav)

TYPE
Still / White
VARIETAL
Chardonnay, Savagnin
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
DETAILS

Organic and biodynamic. 75% Chardonnay and 25% Savagnin. The Savagnin is planted on calcareous-clay soil with grey marl (Jurassic era – 200 million years) with south and south-west exposures. The Chardonnay is on light soil with chalky stone located above the village of Chateau Chalon with a south-west exposure. Hand-Harvested. The Savagnin is fermented in tank and aged under veil for 8-15 months. The Chardonnay is fermented and aged in oak barrels and topped up. The two are blended a month before bottling unfined and unfiltered.

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Cotes du Jura Savagnin de Voile

TYPE
Still / White
VARIETAL
Savagnin
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
DETAILS

Organic and biodynamic. 100% Savagnin. Sourced from 15-35 year old vines from two different terroirs. Le Nid located right below the Chateau Chalon cliff is on deep grey marl with chalky stone. Les Lyas located in Menetru is on less marl and more stone soils. Hand-harvested. The alcoholic fermentation is done with natural yeast in tank, and is aged on its fine lees in the same vat for 10 months . The wine is then racked into old barrels for the second phase of aging sous voile. From this point forward, the barresl are not topped off and flore forms on the surface of the wine. After 12 months sous voile, it’s lightly filtered and then bottled.

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Cotes du Jura Chardonnay de la Vallee

TYPE
Still / White
VARIETAL
Chardonnay
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
DETAILS

Organic and biodynamic. 100% Chardonnay. This cuvée is taken from the lower slopes of the domaine, from two parcels totaling .7ha on clay-limestone soils (Lias and Trias) with scree. Hand-harvested and vinified on the lees and topped up. Aged 50% in inox and 50% in old barrel for 10 months before lightly filtering and bottling.

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Chateau-Chalon

TYPE
Still / White
VARIETAL
Savagnin
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
DETAILS

Biodynamic and Organic. 100% Savagnin from 25-65 year old vines planted in 1945, 1967 and 1986 from two plots: Sous Roche, beneath the cliff of Château Chalon and En Lyas in Menétru le Vignoble. Marnes grises et bleues make up the soil types. The grapes are hand-harvested and after pressing, the resulting must is fermented in barrel on its fine lees with only indigenous yeast and flor. It is then aged in barrel and kept topped-up until the following summer with lees stirring, then transferred into neutral barrels located in a separate above ground cellar for 6 more years of aging sous voile. It will be kept sous voile until it is lightly filtered and bottled at least 7 years after harvest.

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Cotes du Jura Trousseau de la Vallee

TYPE
Still / Red
VARIETAL
Trousseau
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
DETAILS

Organic and biodynamic. 100% Trousseau. This cuvée is taken from younger, low-yielding vines (planted between 1999-2004), from two parcels totaling .8ha on clay-limestone soils. Hand-harvested; farming has been biodynamic since 2005. Fruit is destemmed, except one layer of whole clusters lining the bottom of the steel tank, which vigneron Damien Courbet indicates "helps with a slow release of sugar and lends a certain spiciness coming from the small amount of ripe stems." Unfined, unfiltered.

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Cotes du Jura Savagnin L'Origine

TYPE
Still / White
VARIETAL
Savagnin
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
DETAILS

Organic and biodynamic. 100% Savagnin. Taken from younger vines grown in the 'marnes bleus,' or blue ocean marl, that's particular to this area and in which Savagnin thrives. Grapes for this tiny cuvée are crushed and skin macerated for 18 hours. Fermentation and aging take place 50% in neutral oak barrels and 50% in stainless steel. It's produced in the topped-up style in barrel. The cuvée is named 'L'Origine' because Courbet sees Savagnin as an ancient variety, one that's a forebear of many other grapes present today.

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Cotes du Jura Poulsard

TYPE
Still / Red
VARIETAL
Poulsard
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
DETAILS

Organic and biodynamic. 100% poulsard from the parcel "Sur Lyas" with a south-west exposition, located on Jurrassic (Lias, Trias) calcareous-clay with grey marl. Hand De-stemmed w/ fermentation and 7 months elevage in inox. 16 days maceration with small pumpovers. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

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Cremant de Jura 'Perle'

TYPE
Sparkling / White
VARIETAL
Chardonnay
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Organic
DETAILS

Organic and biodynamic. 100% Chardonnay from a single .75 ha plot 250 m altitude with a north-west exposure along the road of Château-Chalon. Full grape pneumatic press with fermentation and 8 months aging in used barrels. 36 months on the lees in bottle before disgorging.

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