Description
This uncompromising vigneron knows that his oxidative end result is as much a product of natural winemaking as it of natural farming. He believes good wine starts with the vine, and his hard work and dedication to his vineyards are a tribute to nature.
Didier Grappe completed his studies at the viticulture wine school in Beaune, Burgundy in 2001, and in 2007 his domain was certified organic by Ecocert. Situated in Saint-Lothain within the Côtes-du-Jura appellation, Domaine Didier Grappe farms 3.5 hectares of local varietals across three separate parcels around the village—Champs Rouge, Novelin, and Longefin.
Half a hectare is planted with the red varietals (Pinot Noir, Poulsard, and Trousseau), with three hectares dedicated to Chardonnay and Savagnin. These are rooted in grey and red marl soils, which he tends to with the utmost respect. No chemical treatments are used in the vineyard, and his winemaking involves no cultured yeasts or tannins, and is void of chaptalisation, acidification, filtering, and fining. “Grapes only”, as he would say.
His wines are much like his personality—refined and restrained, with a slight amount of tension.