Hi!
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My partner and I are visiting Jura for the first time and are staying in Arbois the end of September. Jura wines really opened the door to natural wine for me and I’m thrilled to visit!
I found this excellent guide [https://wideworldofwine.co/2020/07/29/tourist-jura-a-brief-guide-to-arbois-and-beyond/](https://wideworldofwine.co/2020/07/29/tourist-jura-a-brief-guide-to-arbois-and-beyond/) but I also wanted to ask here in the service of other people planning trips if anyone might share advice on winemakers who would be most approachable about visiting?
We plan to go to Grapiot, Bistrot des Claquets (on the recommendation of another thread in here!) and check out both Epicurea and Les Jardins de St-Vincent to buy wine. We will rent a car. Happy to hear other suggestions!
Thank you!
by epiqueerian
5 Comments
michel gahier would be nice as well as domaine de Buronfosse . montbourgeau is classic as well
Jura is the holy land of natural wines, with Anjou, so the list of winemakers there to visit is generous.
In the classics, Gilles and Christelle Wicky, Peggy and Jean-Pascal Buronfosse, Domaine de la Renardière are quite approachable. You can check out Stéphane and Bénédicte Tissot, also Pignier, they have very nice whites. It’s the old guard of Jura, they tend to be quite open to visits. Michel Gahier can be a great experience if you manage to catch a visit.
If you get lucky, Tony Bornard, Julien Mareschal, Maison Maenad, Les Dolomies, Domaine de la Loue, Domaine des Marnes Blanches. Great stuff, they generally have stuff to sell (apart from Maenad and Dolomies).
If you get really lucky, Labet of course, Nicolas Jacob, Philippe Chatillon, Domaine de la Tournelle, Les Bottes Rouges, Thomas Jacquin, Julien Crinquand, Les Granges Paquenesses, Patrice Hugues-Beguet. These ones are swamped for visits, you’ll need a few recommandations or locals to catch a visit. I won’t even mention Overnoy, Houillon Bruyère and Les Miroirs for that reason.
Just avoid Fabrice Dodane of Domaine de St Pierre, he isn’t in great shape these days.
Keep in mind that the end of September isn’t the greatest period for visiting winemakers as they generally have a lot to do. Don’t hesitate to ask for tips or phone numbers if you catch a visit (without being too pushy of course), and enjoy all of it !
Bornard. Puffeney. Ganevat.
Just came back from Jura, a part from all the great producers allready mentioned Morel has a cellar door in Poligny aswell.
On top of that be aware that Arbois is extremely small, you will have gone through all the decent restaurants in 2 days.
Might be a good Idea to split your days between poligny and pupillin aswell.
(We we’re only there for 2 nights, so didn’t bother us too much, but I think we would have gotten bored if we stayed for a whole week)
September won’t be a great time to visit anyone given you’ll be right in the middle of them dealing w/ their wines…..
Tissot has a tasting room right in the middle of Arbois. Morel has one in Poligny. Reverchon has one around there as well.
Labet is sometimes open for a visit and would be worth going if so…I’d call/email in advance. It isn’t that close to Arbois.
Pignier and L’Etoile are open to drop by as well.
Montbourgeau might be open.
Berthet Bondet in Chateau Chalon is open. Macle is by appointment and if a certain woman is there, it’ll be painful.
Barzing is a cool bar…lots of local stuff in Poligny.
If you want a decent cup of coffee, cafe calandestin in the poligny station (not joking). Probably the ONLY decent cup of coffee in the area and a regular stop for many of the winemakers.
Other restaurants…bistronome is good. Maison Jeunet is very good as well…very expensive for the region but very fair IMO.
Les Caudalies used to be a recommendation..food is usually very good..winelist used to be great..less so now (but still good).
For non-wine stuff..the Comte museum is actually pretty interesting.
If you’re just interested in natural wine, not all of those producers above are natural..although some are very close. In most cases a lot of the smaller producers are pretty close to natural although some will spray if necessary and add SO2 if necessary (even natural winemakers in the region will).