Evelyne and Pascal Clairet began Domaine de la Tournelle in 1991 with a single rented parcel of Chardonnay and an enthusiastic pursuit of organic and biodynamic farming. Things didn't get fully underway until the late... Read More

Evelyne and Pascal Clairet began Domaine de la Tournelle in 1991 with a single rented parcel of Chardonnay and an enthusiastic pursuit of organic and biodynamic farming. Things didn't get fully underway until the late ‘90s, when Evelyne gave up her job as a winery technician in the Rhône and both of them sought oenology degrees, along with advice from the regional legends such as Pierre Overnoy. The domaine is now seven hectares, a house, cellar, and bistro in downtown Arbois. The bistro is apparently quite good and it will be my first stop when I'm back in the Jura.

In the vineyards, the Clairets have been farming organically since 2000, certified since 2010 and work almost exclusively biodynamically. Great attention is given to picking and sorting, with all harvesting done by hand, a rigorous post-harvest sorting, and a gentle de-stemming. At seven hectares, Domaine de la Tournelle is the maximum size for a one man - or, in this case, one couple - show in the Jura. In the cellar, the methods are best described as “hands off,” with native yeast fermentations in vat, minimal temperature intervention (meaning the juice is naturally kept cool during fermentation by the ambient temperature in the cellar), and aging in neutral barrels.

The Clairets’ sulfur regime varies from wine to wine. The couple tests each wine before deciding how much sulfur to add by leaving it exposed to oxygen for two days. The wine’s deterioration over 24 hours lets them know whether sulfur is needed or not, and when they can work without it, they do! There’s generally no more than 20mg of sulfur added to any of the cuvées.