Producer: Les Valseuses

Antoine Le Court-Chedevergne

Where?

In the Jura, near Arbois. But first, we have to go through Brazil and São Paulo, where Antoine Le Court-Chedevergne brews beer and makes wine after exploring South America. He meets Julia, a French translator. They cross the ocean, get married, and settle in France. So here we are in Arbois, where the young couple is looking for a nest. After some searching, they find, or rather are found, by a sumptuous 1765 winemaker's house in Planches-près-Arbois, a small village blessed, among other things, with fewer than 100 inhabitants. The site is enchanting, ideal for nature hikes. Nearby, the Tufs waterfall is classified as a Natura 2000 site. They are renovating the house to turn it into a guesthouse, Casa Antolià, which opened in August 2019. Antoine's family has always had a passion for wine. His grandmother from Poitou had a vineyard—everyone had a piece of vines back then. He studied viticulture around the world and with many winegrowers. His vintages are made from organic grapes. The Valseuses winemaking adventure is only just beginning with 2018, the first vintage.

Terroir, plots, and grape varieties

In the distant past when Casa Antolià was built, there were vineyards in the commune. This is no longer the case, even though the village belongs to the Arbois appellation. The grape varieties are typically Jura—Savagnin, Chardonnay, Trousseau, Poulsard—but there are also a few extraterritorial varieties: Riesling and Sylvaner from Alsace, Gamay, Molette from Bugey. This is due to the fact that Antoine buys his grapes all over France, from his friends (or friends of friends) who are organic winegrowers. He goes directly to the vines and harvests on the vine in most cases.

Growing Methods

Regardless of the grapes' origin, Antoine only buys organic, biodynamic, or in-conversion grapes (to help winegrowers in their efforts), meaning they are free of synthetic chemical inputs, pesticides, or herbicides.

Vinification

The winery, which is over two and a half centuries old, has thought of everything: vinification using the natural method takes place admirably in its beautiful vaulted stone cellars. No winemaking aids are used, no exogenous yeasts, and of course, no sulfites are used during bottling. "The grapes guide us," says Antoine: "no too many rules and especially no recipes." »

The Wines

Juicy, fresh, and bursting with joie de vivre, the wines of Les Valseuses deserve their vibrant names. Each vintage is named after a song: the repertoire includes Brel, Gainsbourg, Joy Division, and Brazilian songs. The graphics and photos were created by visual artist Clément Deuve, and the color drawings by Brazilian artist Clarisse Romeiro.