LA LOUE + BACK VINTAGE BANGERS

Hello you lovely lot,

Another week, another glut of new vino. This wine life is tough sometimes.

Let’s kick off with Domaine de la Loue. I tasted these last Monday and was reminded why Catherine continues to make some of my favourite expressions from the region. Based in the northerly Port-Lesney, these wines are seriously flying under the radar.

Originally working in film, she fell hard for the Jura whilst on a work trip. The love affair continued, and after spending time learning from none other than Emmanuel Houillon, she decided to set up shop. As expected: exceptional farming from the get-go, lo-fi touch in the cellar, and wines buzzing with energy. Stylistically, they remind me of L’Octavin. They’re very energetic, but also dialled in with only a faint kiss of something wild. The reds are ethereal and effortless, not overly pale like some, with a silky texture and zero excess weight. Pretty much the perfect middle ground. Buffard is a great example: Trousseau can so often be too featherweight or too extracted and muddy. This one hits the sweet spot and was the first Trousseau in a while that gave me actual shivers.

La Brute is a mineral-driven, mille-feuille Pinot. Mille-feuille? Isn’t that dessert? Yes, but also a winemaking trick that’s having a bit of a moment. The fruit was macerated for six weeks in alternating layers of destemmed and whole bunches, like the pastry layers in your pudding. In simple terms, it brings out the fresher side of the grape and amps up the aromatics. Delicate tannins, subtle spice, usual suspects. These bottles were tasted at the very end of a trade session, open all day, in and out of the ice bucket and still showed no signs of fatigue. Seductive and stable? Sign me up.

Her touch with Savagnin is also unrivalled. Whether macerated, sous-voile, or in Macvin, these didn’t skip a beat. I’m now finally fully converted to Savagnin macerations. This tipped it over the edge. Yellow fruit gets dialled up, texture goes all pithy. This was saline and full of burnt orange bitters. A steal compared to other examples of similar ilk. The Vin Jaune is breathtaking. Lighter style, high drinkability. Jura nerds will also appreciate it comes from the southeast-facing Sous la Roche lieu-dit. This is an IFYKYK plot. To those who claim you can’t taste terroir or vintage in oxidative wines, I implore you to give this a go!

Lastly, a Macvin that isn’t technically a Macvin, but basically is, and it’s all class. Two-year barrel-aged Marc and sweet Savagnin juice are blended before four more years of rest. So vinous and balanced. No better way to end a meal. Merci, Catherine!

What else? Wish I could take credit for this one, but the boss really came in clutch with some mature Riesling from masters of the craft. Keller at various ripeness levels, all with at least a decade of age! Do I need to say anymore?!? This is a rare chance to drink some of the world’s greatest wines without having to forget about them for ten years. Benchmark bottles from producers at the very top of the game. Yes, they’re not cheap. Yes, they’re f*cking amazing.

The ‘07 is showing beautifully, still so fresh, and in decent supply. The ‘14 is v limited and also otherworldly. The “baby” bottles are just so cute. If you wanna dip your toes in see here, if you’re a riesling freak go wild here. If you really want to push the boat out, we’ve got a special Spätlese from Egon Müller. Brb, wiping away tears. Happy ones for the soul. Sad ones for the wallet.

Not all allocations have to cost the earth! To those in the natural wine know, the name Christian Ducroux needs no intro. Despite being one of the earliest pioneers of organic, and biodynamic (since 1985!) farming he doesn’t get mentioned enough alongside the regions heavyweights. He works just 6 hectares of old, densely planted vines around Lantignie on pink granite. At considerable altitude for the region and with a northerly exposure he manages to capture a freshness that is becoming increasing hard to find in the Beaujolais, where climate change has had more of an impact than most.

The wines are vinified in whole bunches in large concrete vats in the modest cellar under the family home. After, they are moved to an old, and I mean OLD press. Sill going strong since the 1870’s, the free-run juice and the subsequent presses are all bottled separately. Gravity then moves the wines to old casks and once ready are bottled without input. A true paysan vigneron, with a keen focus for the health of his land and a gentle touch in the cellar. The resulting wines nourish both body and soul. Wildy alluring in their youth they also offer great reward for those with more patience than me. We have some older releases, some newer releases. See the full range here.

I’m also doing my best to pretend summer’s not over, and have been drinking my body weight in Tavel. Romain Le Bars’ bottling is finally back and an absolute steal. This is always a joy. Plus, one final lizard wine is still here. Promise, you’ll get something nice.

And when the chill really sets in and I’m forced to put on a jumper, I’ve got this lined up. Mature Mascarello. One of life’s greatest pleasures. For once, the aging’s been done for you. No cellaring, no excuses, no time like the present.

Big one this week.

ILY

Fionn

xoxo