Domaine Les Bottes Rogues, Jean-Baptiste Menigoz, Arbois
AOC: Arbois
Varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, Trousseau, Savagnin
Viticulture: Organic
Size: 7 hectares
Terroir: Limestone, Clay, Marl
Varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, Trousseau, Savagnin
Viticulture: Organic
Size: 7 hectares
Terroir: Limestone, Clay, Marl
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Jean-Baptiste Menigoz began his career not as a winemaker, but as a teacher in Arbois working with special needs children. During this time, he became fixated on natural winemaking, no doubt with influence from his good friend and fellow vigneron, Raphael Monnier, who is also part of the Selection Massale family. Jean-Baptiste went about living this double life for ten years or so, devoting all of his free time away from school to working in the vines. It wasn’t until an apprenticeship with Jura-master, Stéphane Tissot, and some encouragement from Raphael, that he decided to bite the bullet and commit fully to trading his classroom for his vineyards.
After a couple vintages on his own (with the help of his wife, Jacqueline), he was joined by Florien Kleine Snuverink in 2014, who is originally from the Netherlands. A long-time proponent of natural wines, she used to own the famed Café Schiller in Amsterdam before moving to the Jura to learn winemaking. After interning for a couple of years, she played around with the idea of purchasing vines of her own before ultimately deciding to become a partner at the estate and share all of the duties with Jean-Baptiste.
After a couple vintages on his own (with the help of his wife, Jacqueline), he was joined by Florien Kleine Snuverink in 2014, who is originally from the Netherlands. A long-time proponent of natural wines, she used to own the famed Café Schiller in Amsterdam before moving to the Jura to learn winemaking. After interning for a couple of years, she played around with the idea of purchasing vines of her own before ultimately deciding to become a partner at the estate and share all of the duties with Jean-Baptiste.
At the beginning he began to acquire parcels in both Arbois and Abergement, which are quite possibly the closest vineyards in the Côtes de Jura AOC to Arbois. His big break was when he was afforded the opportunity to secure 2.5ha of vines, and he has steadily grown the estate to its current size of seven different plots of vines, comprising 7ha total. Soils in his parcels range from limestone in some, to various types of heavy clay and marl in others. Strict organic principles were applied from the beginning, and experiments with biodynamic treatments are ongoing based on each vineyards individual needs.
Keeping with his experimental tendencies, Jean-Baptiste makes a wide array of wines. The overarching theme is quite simple: native yeasts, no fining or filtration, depending on the cuvée, and low- to no-suplhur. As Jean-Baptiste says, “We make the wines that we like to drink ourselves.”
Keeping with his experimental tendencies, Jean-Baptiste makes a wide array of wines. The overarching theme is quite simple: native yeasts, no fining or filtration, depending on the cuvée, and low- to no-suplhur. As Jean-Baptiste says, “We make the wines that we like to drink ourselves.”
WINES
The first Chardonnay cuvée is Leon. The vines are planted in clay-heavy soils and the grapes are usually harvested at the end of September. Direct press into 3,000L foudre for alcoholic and malolactic fermentation before racking into smaller, 440L neutral oak barrels. Jean-Baptiste concludes that this is an incredibly age-worthy white wine.
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His Savagnin is called Album. The grapes are sourced from the same parcel as Des Nouvelles, and uses the same vinification techniques. Classic ouillé Savagnin. Straight up delicious.
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His most experimental cuvée to date is No Milk Today. Inspired by a similar wine from Catherine Hannoun of Domaine de la Loue (another Jura producer in the Selection Massale book), this is a skin maceration wine made from Chardonnay or Savagnin, depending on the vintage. 2015 was 100% Chardonnay that spent three weeks macerating on the skins; 2016 was 100% Savagnin which macerated on the skins thirteen days before pressing.
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Des Nouvelles is a cuvée that he makes in minuscule quantities. 100% Chardonnay planted in limestone soils; direct press of the whole bunches into neutral oak barrels for fermentation. Utilizes debourbage (a process in which the lees are allowed to settle before racking to minimize the need for filtration) before being put back into barrel for élevage. Racked once more before being bottled with 1.5g/L SO2
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Tôt ou Tard is 100% Poulsard planted in clay soils from a lieu-dit within the Arbois AOC calles La Mulatiere. The grapes are destemmed by hand into tanks where they are allowed to ferment naturally and undergo a three-week maceration after which they are pressed into 600L barriques. Bottled without the addition of SO2 and rested for six months in bottle before release.
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Gibus is made from Trousseau planted in chalky soils. Hand-destemmed into stainless steel for fermentation before being pressed into another tank for aging. 2g/L sulfur added after completing malolactic fermentation. This is often his most serious and structured red wine.
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Jean-Baptiste makes a second Pinot called Neo, which is sourced from the same parcel as La Pepée. The winemaking style is much different: four days of whole-cluster maceration before pressing, resulting in a much lighter, fresh, and supple wine. His goal was to highlight how the same parcel can produce two very different wines, and he succeeded
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La Pepée is his first Pinot Noir, sourced from two vineyards, one near La Mulatiere and the other near Les Bodines. The vines are planted in clay soils and are vinified using the same techniques as Tôt ou Tard. Élevage is a bit different, with half of the juice pressed into 600L barriques and the rest into stainless steel. He then adds a bit of SO2 at bottling, depending on the vintage.
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Aumont is an old-school Côtes de Jura blend of Poulsard and Trousseau from his vineyards in Abergement. Fermented and aged in fiberglass tank.