FRANCE

DOMAINE LOUIS CLAUDE DESVIGNES, AOC MORGON

We first heard about Loius Claude Desvignes from our good friend German Blanco of Quinta Milu. Desvignes family are 8th generation vignerons, working 13 hectares of vineyards, located in the Montagne de Py – at the very heart of the appellation Morgon. In early 2000’s the siblings Claude Emmanuelle and Louis Benoit took over from their father Louis Claude Desvignes – with an intention to continue his pioneering work of making singular, terroir driven wines, as well as establishing their own connection with the land they inherited. The Domaine was converted to organic farming and Louis Benoit has chosen to make his wine in a traditional Cru Beaujolais way – slow and cool fermentation, with gentle extraction, aiming to capture all the primary aromas and freshness of the fruit. Continuing in his father’s footsteps, Luis Benoit makes an elegant, age worthy wines– “a Gamay to keep” ... However, he also believes that: “great wine is the one you can drink at any stage (...) because it will always reveal something new (...)”.

For over half of the century, this iconic Domaine in Jura was known as the largest family run winemaking venture in the region. The four siblings of the Rolet family continued the work of their father Desire Rolet, who became a full time vigneron in 1951.
For decades, the three brothers and a sister worked tirelessly, increasing the family holding to over 60 hectares of the best plots in AOC Arbois, Côtes du Jura and l’Etoile.
However, the time does not stand still... 2018 marks a new chapter in Rolet history, with a long anticipated change of the ownership. The new proprietors are from Burgundy and bring a terroir focused approach to the winery. Much needed work has started in the vineyards, with a lot of care given to the old vines and the estate is now being converted to organic farming. While preserving the heritage and the spirit initiated by the Rolet family – the new owners work with quality in mind and recent vintages are showing it!