Etienne Thiebaud commenced making his own wine at Domaine des Cavarodes in the village of Cramans in the northern part of the Jura in 2007. He makes wines of amazing purity which reflect the terroir from which they come on either side of the Loue River and across to Arbois.
He only has 4.5 hectares of vines (ranging in age from 15 to 115 years old) which he farms organically but produces many cuvees from these small holdings. The wines are made as naturally as possible with the reds undergoing semi-carbonic maceration following careful de-stemming and maturation in old barrels.
Key vineyards are Lumachelles which is in the commune of Mouchard just north of Arbois (where he has Chardonnay and Trousseau), Guille Bouton in Arbois (where he has Chardonnay) and Les Messagelins which is also in Arbois (where he has Trousseau).
It is made from Chardonnay and was regularly topped up to prevent excessive oxidation (the French use the term ouille, to describe this topping up process). A large foudre was used for both fermentation and maturation on the lees. The resulting wine was bottled without the addition of any sulphites to retain the freshness and typicity.
The wine exhibits a strong mineral quality suggesting good biodynamic practices in the vineyard with a distinct lemon peel vibe on the palate.
Grape: Chardonnay
Organic