Maxime Lanny & Isabelle Delahaye
Arbois, Jura, France
Maxime Lannay began in the world of wine at Domaine Villet, where he learned a lot about biodynamic agriculture. Subsequently, he spent two years working in the cellar of Alice Bouvot, from Domaine de l’Octavin. There he was able to refine his knowledge on viticulture. Isabelle Delahaye, Maxime’s wife, joined in 2019. They had met through Alice Bouvot. Isabelle used to be a sommelier and worked in some of France’s finest establishments before she decided to move to Arbois. Together they created Domaine des Barbatruks. Maxime and Isabelle aim to make authentic and natural wines, with respect for the natural environment, that honestly represent the terroir and the surroundings.
The Domaine is rather small, only consisting of about 0.7 hectares of vines, spread out over Arbois, Montigny-les-Arsures, Pupillin and Montmarin. The vines are planted in soils of interspersed blue and chalky marl, typical for the Jura. This gives the Jura wines a typical and incomparable acidity and tension. In the vineyards they grow Savagnin, Ploussard, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Seibel, a hybrid also known as Rosette. Viticulture in the Jura is far from easy as challenging climate conditions and small land surfaces make it uncertain. Therefore, Isabelle and Maxime started a négoce range, purchasing grapes from befriended vignerons of the Rhône Valley, the Languedoc and Alsace. All the purchased fruit is farmed following biodynamic principles, respecting natural cycles and preserving biodiversity. This is also the case for the viticulture of the Domaine itself, where the grapes are then harvested by hand and sorted in the vineyards.
In the cellar Maxime and Isabelle made a conscious decision to only work by hand. They own a traditional vertical press with which they gently press the grapes for lightly extracted juice. Fermentation is spontaneous and with indigenous yeasts and the bottling is done with the help of gravity without fining, filtering or adding sulphites.
Isabelle and Maxime produce expressive and energetic wines that are easy to drink. The wines have character, wildness, passion and go off the beaten track. No Burgundy Jura but a unique expression of Jura.
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