About the Domaine
Just a few miles northeast of Château-Chalon is an old picturesque Jurassien farm named Les Granges-Bernard. Surrounded by pastures and old forests on the plateau behind the village of Menétru-le-Vignoble, it is quite secluded and makes one feel like they have stepped back in time a few generations. It is here that Marie-Pierre Chevassu-Fassenet was brought up working daily on the farm with her parents and three sisters. Her mother came from a family of vignerons and her father farmed and raised cattle for cheese. In the late 1980’s her father took on a couple hectares of vines, and Marie-Pierre instantly took to working in the vineyards. Over time more vineyards were added and her father started producing and selling wine under his own label.
Enjoying work in the vines and fascinated by the culture of traditional Jura wine, Marie-Pierre set out in her late teens to become a vigneronne. She studied viticulture and winemaking in Beaune and went on to receive an oenology degree at Dijon. Not yet ready to take over the family Domaine, Marie-Pierre spent several years making wine in New Zealand, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Champagne. In the early 2000s she returned to the Jura to work as the cellar manager at La Maison du Vigneron, one of the largest négociants in the Jura. In 2008 her father was ready to retire and handed over the reins of the Domaine to Marie-Pierre. Her father and mother still live in the old farmhouse above the cellar and continue to lend a hand in farming and producing wine. One of Marie-Pierre’s sisters has taken over the farming aspects of the family business. From 2008 onward all wines produced by the Domaine are bottled under the name Marie-Pierre Chevassu-Fassent.
Keen to keep the Domaine small and a lover of traditional Jura wine, Marie-Pierre has changed little at the Domaine since taking over. Marie-Pierre and one part time employee manually hoe and tend to the 4.5 hectares of vines. Farming has been converted to Organic, but Marie-Pierre has not sought certification. For 2.5 hectares she has introduced phytotherapy techniques – using fermented plant preparations rather than copper and sulfur for disease control
In the cellar, the whites are all fermented and aged in old barrels. Despite certain styles not being en vogue, Marie-Pierre continues to offer the full range of traditional Jura whites (Crémant, Vin de Paille, Macvin, Vin Jaune). Her Chardonnay is among the best value for money in the Jura, and the largest production wine of the Domaine. A small amount of Savagnin Ouillé is produced in good vintages, but Marie-Pierrre prefers traditional oxidative Savagnin.
The biggest change at the Domaine since taking over for her father has been with the three red wines. Pinot Noir, Poulsard, and Trousseau are all produced in the modern Jura style. The grapes are 100% de-stemmed and ferment whole berry in stainless-steel tanks. There is no oak ageing for the reds, and they are released 8-10 months after the harvest.
It’s hard to think of a producer who better exemplifies the enthusiastic pragmatism we so value in the producers we work with. Special wines and a special person, we are honored to bring these wines to the States.
