Despite having trained in Bordeaux and Burgundy, Alice Bouvot knew that when it came to start her own domaine, the Jura would be the place. In 2004 she started from scratch, buying a small cellar in the village of Arbois and a couple of hectares of vines in the hills surrounding.
Alice now farms around five hectares of Chardonnay, Savagnin, Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir. Vineyard work is done by hand and is both fanatical and fantastic, with biodynamic farming used to great effect in retaining a real biodiversity in the vineyard. These are some of the most beautiful parcels we have seen. After a number of lean vintages, Alice had to look further afield to make ends meet and now harvests grapes at trusted friends’ properties all over France, making an equally exciting range of négociant wines.
In a good year, she makes a dazzling number of cuvées. There is no recipe and winemaking is dynamic, with decisions being made only once the fruit has been brought to the cellar, where fermentation, vessels and élevage vary from parcel to parcel and vintage to vintage, and nothing is ever added at any stage. It’s a refreshingly free approach that yields individual wines of real character, the common thread being a sort of boundless energy, where each is as nourishing, delicious and exciting as the last.
Made from the rare Molette grape picked in the vineyards of Domaine Trichon in Bugey. The fruit is pressed directly and ferments and ages in cuve (vat or tank) for nine months. A little more restrained than previous vintages, it impresses with delicate scents of mandarin and white flowers and a clean, salty finish. Light and crisp – a beautiful apéritif!
Note the wrench on the label -this is because Clé à Molette means adjustable wrench. Yet another play on words that the French love so much! Pairs well with poultry, mushrooms, Iberian cured meats, mild and soft cheese.
Serving tip – A beautiful wine to start with! Serve chilled and enjoy with charcuterie.