Domaine de la Loue

History of Domaine de la Loue

The story of Domaine de la Loue is one of a career change as improbable as it is successful. Catherine Hannoun spent many years in the film industry, notably working on the production of the documentary Mondovino, that cult film which explored the excesses of the global wine economy. It was precisely this project that led her to fall in love with the Jura, its landscapes, its people and its wines.

In 2008, she settled in Port-Lesney, a quiet little commune about fifteen minutes north of Arbois. She began by learning her new trade alongside Emmanuel Houillon, emblematic winemaker of Domaine Overnoy, a tutelary figure of natural Jura wine. In 2009, armed with this foundational apprenticeship, Catherine purchased her first vineyard parcels and her current cellar, giving birth to Domaine de la Loue, a name inspired by the eponymous river that winds through the Jura massif.

From the outset, conversion to organic farming was initiated. In 2016, Catherine had her cellar renovated and expanded, giving it a second wind while preserving the artisanal scale that is dear to her. For more than fifteen years, she has explored, experimented, sometimes made mistakes, always learned. Her wines have become a confidential and sought-after reference on the natural wine scene in France and internationally.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine de la Loue

The vineyard of Domaine de la Loue extends over approximately 3.2 hectares, spread across several emblematic communes of the Jura wine region: Marnoz, Arbois, Pupillin, Aiglepierre, Buffard and Molamboz. This parcel mosaic offers Catherine Hannoun a palette of varied terroirs, each expressing its own identity in the final cuvées.

The soils are characteristic of the Jura: clay-limestone, red or gray marl-limestone depending on the sectors, with exposures often oriented east to southeast that favor grape maturity while preserving their natural freshness. In Pupillin, the parcel called Sous Roche rests on clayey gray marls on a gentle slope, ideal for Savagnin. In Molamboz, calcareous clays host 36-year-old Pinot Noir. In Marnoz, Aiglepierre and Buffard, red marls and limestones support old Trousseau vines, some of which exceed 70 years.

The grape varieties cultivated are those of the Jura in their diversity: Chardonnay, Savagnin, Trousseau, Pinot Noir and Poulsard (Ploussard). All vines are grown using certified organic farming. Catherine also draws inspiration from biodynamics to care for her soils and plants. For plowing, she uses a horse and a donkey, thus preserving the structure and life of the soil. Harvests are exclusively manual, carried out parcel by parcel to respect the maturity of each grape variety.

Vinification at Domaine de la Loue

At Domaine de la Loue, the winemaking philosophy can be summed up in a few words: trust, patience and non-intervention. Catherine Hannoun works without filtration or fining, with sulfur use reduced to its strict minimum, or even none for certain cuvées. Fermentations are spontaneous, carried out only by indigenous yeasts present on the grapes.

For her red wines, Catherine has developed a maceration technique she calls the millefeuille method: the grapes are stacked in alternating 40-centimeter layers, one destemmed layer, one whole cluster layer, until the tank is completely filled. This original process promotes gentle and progressive extraction, producing wines that are both fleshy and delicate, far from tannic excesses. Maceration generally lasts between six and seven weeks depending on the cuvées.

For the whites, vinification involves direct pressing followed by spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks. Aging is done partly in large barrels or old neutral 600-liter barrels, partly in stainless steel tanks, depending on the cuvées, before returning to tanks one month before bottling. This approach allows for the development of complexity and finesse while preserving the typicity of the grape variety and terroir.

Catherine vinifies parcel by parcel, allowing each plot to express its own character before deciding on a possible blend or separate bottling. She ages certain cuvées topped up, others in a more oxidative manner, in the Jura style. The range offered thus reflects the winemaker herself: curious, lively, uncompromising.

The Cuvées of Domaine de la Loue

La Brute (Pinot Noir)

The La Brute cuvée is one of the estate's best-known signatures. It is made from pure Pinot Noir, from a parcel in the commune of Molamboz planted on calcareous clays with a southeast exposure. The vines are approximately 36 years old, an ideal maturity to produce grapes with beautiful aromatic depth. Vinification is carried out by semi-carbonic maceration for six weeks according to Catherine's millefeuille method, alternating whole clusters and destemmed grapes. Aging takes place in stainless steel tanks for one year. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration, with little or no added sulfur.

Le Rouge (Trousseau, Ploussard, Chardonnay)

Le Rouge is a blend dominated by Trousseau (95%), complemented by Ploussard, Trousseau à la Dame and a touch of Chardonnay. The grapes come from three parcels located in Marnoz, Aiglepierre and Buffard, on red clay, marl and limestone soils. The vines are between 20 and 70 years old, offering remarkable concentration and complexity. The maceration, always in millefeuille style, lasts seven weeks. Aging then takes place in stainless steel tanks for one year. Without added sulfur, without filtration or fining, Le Rouge expresses the quintessence of Jura Trousseau: pure fruit, elegant structure, a long and spicy finish. 

Le Savagnin (Savagnin)

The Savagnin from Domaine de la Loue comes from a parcel called Sous Roche, on the heights of Pupillin. The vines, planted on clayey gray marls on an east-southeast facing slope, produce grapes with beautiful aromatic density. After manual harvest, the grapes are pressed directly and ferment spontaneously in stainless steel tanks. Aging is carried out half in stainless steel tanks, half in old neutral 600-liter barrels, for approximately 14 months. The wine is transferred to tanks one month before bottling, without sulfur or filtration.

La Bulle Bleue (Chardonnay)

La Bulle Bleue is a natural sparkling wine cuvée made from 100% Chardonnay. The grapes come from the communes of Pupillin, Marnoz, Aiglepierre and Buffard. Pressed directly, they ferment naturally and the wine is bottled on lees before the end of fermentation, according to the ancestral method.

Le Vin de Liqueur (Savagnin fortified with Marc)

The Vin de Liqueur from Domaine de la Loue is a rare gem in the range, made from the best Savagnin grapes from the Pupillin parcel. After harvest, the Savagnin juice is fortified with an estate marc aged two years in wooden barrels, at approximately 54% vol. The resulting fortified wine is around 18% and then ages for four years in oak barrels, developing remarkable depth and smoothness.