Domaine des Miroirs - Kenjiro Kagami

History of Domaine des Miroirs

Kenjiro Kagami arrived in France in 2001, driven by a passion for wine that led him to leave everything behind. He studied winemaking in Beaune, Burgundy, then honed his skills with two masters of natural wine: Thierry Allemand in Cornas and Bruno Schueller in Alsace. Those years learning from uncompromising winemakers shaped standards he would never abandon, along with a simple conviction: the work done in the vineyard is fully reflected in the wine.

In 2010, their friend Jean-François Ganevat persuaded Kenjiro and Mayumi to settle in the Jura, specifically in the small village of Grusse, which became part of the municipality of Val-Sonnette in 2016. The couple acquired just over three hectares of limestone slopes, including parcels directly adjoining those of Domaine Ganevat. Domaine des Miroirs was born, and the name was a natural choice: kagami means “mirror” in Japanese, more precisely an ancient bronze shield mirror. Quiet to the point of self-effacement and unwilling to seek media attention, the winemaker nevertheless became a true icon of natural wine worldwide within just a few vintages. Production remains tiny, and his bottles, almost impossible to find on the French market, fetch extraordinary prices at auction.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine des Miroirs

The vineyard covers approximately three hectares of limestone slopes in the Sud Revermont, the southern part of the Jura wine region known for its marl and clay over a bedrock of hard limestone. The Les Saugettes site, which lends its name to several cuvées, forms its heart. White grapes predominate, with around one and a half hectares of chardonnay and one hectare of savagnin, complemented by small red-grape plantings: just 0.4 hectares of poulsard and 0.2 hectares of trousseau.

Viticulture is entirely organic, but it goes far beyond simply following a set of standards. Kenjiro Kagami’s parcels are unmistakable for the abundance of wildflowers flourishing between the rows, reflecting a view of the vineyard as a living ecosystem rather than a monoculture. All work is done by hand, yields are naturally tiny, and the harvest is sorted with extraordinary care. This philosophy explains the small volumes produced each year: barely a few thousand bottles across all cuvées, spread among around ten different wines.

Winemaking at Domaine des Miroirs

In the Grusse winery, intervention is deliberately kept to an absolute minimum. The white grapes are pressed directly, with exceptional gentleness over several hours, to extract the purest juice without ever handling the fruit roughly. Fermentation starts spontaneously with native yeasts alone, without added yeast, chaptalization or any other adjustment. No sulfur is added, either during winemaking or at bottling.

Aging is another defining feature of the winery. The wines spend four to five full years in old, neutral barrels, an exceptionally long period that gives them a silky texture, unusual depth and a polished-crystal quality that strikes everyone who tastes them. Some cuvées are topped up and retain an entirely pure profile; others develop a slight oxidative note rooted in Jura tradition, without ever taking on the classic character of wines aged under a veil of yeast. The wines are neither fined nor filtered and are most often sold as Vin de France, occasionally as Côtes du Jura. Their signature is instantly recognizable: crystalline clarity, an understated character, extraordinary delicacy and sublime length.

The Cuvées of Domaine des Miroirs

Mizuiro Les Saugettes is probably the estate’s most emblematic cuvée. Its name means “the color of water” in Japanese, and the wine beautifully evokes that image. Made from chardonnay, it charms with its pale color, fresh floral nose and remarkably transparent palate, where fine acidity supports delicate fruit. A slightly oxidative finish recalls fresh walnuts and apple. This food-friendly white pairs beautifully with scallops and creamed leeks, a fricassee of snails with porcini mushrooms, or lobster in court-bouillon.

Le Berceau Les Saugettes, also made from chardonnay, offers greater breadth and roundness. A fresh, nutty nose leads to a full palate supported by beautiful acidity, making it almost irresistibly drinkable. It is one of the most generous and immediately appealing cuvées in the range. Sonorité du Vent Les Saugettes, whose name is as poetic as the wine itself, stands out for its airy finesse and saline mineral structure, with the sense of lightness and vibrancy that has made the winemaker’s reputation.

Entre Deux Bleus Les Saugettes is the estate’s flagship savagnin cuvée. Its distinctive, fruity nose reveals subtle oak without heaviness, while the palate offers a silky texture and a saline finish with notes of apple, walnut and cider. The even rarer Entre Deux Bleus... inné takes this expression further, with greater concentration and depth, a strikingly intense mineral structure and aging potential measured in decades. But I'm not the only One continues this exploration of savagnin in a more vibrant style, while I Need the Sun, Mon rythme son rythme, Les Prémices, Que sera sera and Où est-ce qu'on part, on verra bien complete a series of micro-cuvées made according to the vintage and the parcels available. Each amounts to only a few hundred bottles, and their names capture the intuitive, free-spirited nature of Kenjiro Kagami’s work.

The reds, produced in tiny quantities, are no less sought after. Ja Nai, made from poulsard, has a very pale color and a delicate red-fruit nose lifted by an oxidative hint of apple and cider. Its palate is fine and fresh, with rare elegance for this grape. Ja Do, the estate’s rarest and most expensive red cuvée, commands extraordinary prices at auction and embodies the almost legendary aura of this winery. Finally, the estate makes a Marc du Jura, distilled from its own grape pomace and aged for many years, carrying its pursuit of purity and precision from wine into spirits.