Domaine Labet

It all starts in the 1980s when Alain Labet and his wife decided to start producing their own wines near the village of Rotalier, in the southern Jura. The estate is a stone's throw from two other iconic producers in the region, namely Domaine Jean-François Ganevat and Domaine des Miroirs. In 1997, the baton was handed over to their eldest son Julien, who gained his experience at the prestigious winery Ramonet in Burgundy. Alain's other two children have since joined the company. Charline graduated as an oenologist and worked in Chile and her brother Romain is involved in vineyard management.

Chardonnay is the main grape variety at Labet. Indigenous grape varieties such as trousseau, savagnin and poulsard can also be found in the vineyard. In the early years, the wines were mainly produced in classic style, but today the character is much more natural. The winery is therefore completely organic and some plots are worked using biodynamic methods. A unique feature of Labet is that they have a very old vineyard with chardonnay in production. Some vines are as old as 100 years!

When Julien returned from Burgundy, he had many new insights and ideas. For example, he suggested using old wood instead of new barrels. It was also his idea to work more naturally and keep sulphite levels to a minimum. At first, Alain had to get used to his son's new vision, so he decided to first give Julien a few hectares with which to do what he wanted. These hectares are known as the Parcelles Rares. Nevertheless, Julien managed to win over his father and the new methods were introduced. The wines are fermented and aged in old Burgundy demi-muids (600 litres) and foeders (min 1,000 litres). Aging lasts an average of 18 to 36 months. Domaine Labet releases many different cuvées and Vin Jauns, including La Reine, Métis, Champs Rouges and La Bardette. The wines are very popular and therefore hard to come by. Domaine Labet's best vintages are: 2007 and 2009.