Valentin Morel, Les Pieds Sur Terre Trousseau Les Trouillots 2023

100% Trousseau

Jura, France 

This locality is situated on a hillside north of Poligny with a full south exposure. It was planted between 1980 and 1986 over an area of 2.60 ha. On the slope of red and grey marl, straddling the Sinemurian limestone bedrock. Organic and Biodynamic. After hand-harvesting, whole bunch maceration takes place in stainless steel tanks for about fifteen days. After being removed from the vats, the wines are aged until the following spring in stainless steel tanks with, as needed, racking to obtain finer lees. VEGAN, NO ADDED SULFUR.

Valentin Morel’s grandfather operated a sawmill in Poligny, one of the traditional “metiers” in this forested region. After retirement in 1978, he decided to plant 10 hectares of vineyards with his son Jean-Luc. From 1978 to 1985, they sold off grapes to the local co-op, and in 1985 they began bottling their own wines. Jean-Luc had long involved with the local “Confederation Paysan”, and in 1999 stopped using herbicide and began plowing all of the vineyards. After earning a masters degree in international law, Valentin decided he would prefer making wines, and joined the family domaine in 2014. He is biodynamic visionary Rudolph Steiner. Valentin studied winemaking in Alsace, where he was introduced and influenced by natural winemakers like Pierre Frick and Bruno Schueller.

All wines are produced on the estate. The harvest is entirely manual, and fermentation is carried out using indigenous yeasts. The winemaking is low intervention. Oenological additives are never used. Sulfites are only used to create a starter culture at the beginning of the harvest, with all wines containing less than 20 mg/l of SO2.

Valentin's philosophical reflections and active work as a militant and engaged paysan are an integral part of his domaine. He is engaged with the conventional farmers and has asked the AOC to be more accepting of natural wines. He works to encourage young organic producers to plant more vines to create more of a community of like-minded producers, and has planted an experimental block of resistant hybrids to be able to produce wines with no treatment whatsoever.