Maison des Saules B A Ba 2022
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Maison des Saules is a young Jura estate with a bright future ahead, nestled a few kilometres from Lons-le-Saunier. Founded by two passionate sommeliers, Marc Lacroix and Anne-Cécile Daubigney, it cultivates just over 4 hectares of vines on the grey marls of the communes of Villeneuve-sous-Pymont, Savagna and L'Étoile. Here, Chardonnay and Savagnin reign supreme, farmed organically and vinified without additives, through long ageing processes that yield wines of brilliant freshness, beautiful minerality and great finesse. Sous les Grands Prés, La Madeleine and Au Poirier are already among the sought-after gems of Jurassian natural wine.
Maison des Saules is above all a story of love and a return to one's roots. Marc Lacroix and Anne-Cécile Daubigney, both from the Jura and graduates of the hotel school in Poligny, first made their names as sommeliers in great establishments. Anne-Cécile worked at the restaurant Papillon in Paris before spending three formative years with François Rousset-Martin, a reference in the Jura region based near Château-Chalon. Marc, for his part, worked with Anne-Sophie Pic in Valence, travelled as far as a coffee plantation in Ecuador, then trained with Thomas Pico at Domaine de Pattes Loup in Chablis.
In 2022, Marc decided to embark on an adventure that truly reflected his identity and signed the estate's first vintage, with his first plots near Lons-le-Saunier and L'Étoile. In 2024, he was joined by his partner Anne-Cécile, and together they committed fully to the project. Together, they form a complicit duo driven by a love of wine and the Jura terroir, determined to reveal the best of these lands. In just a few vintages, this intimate estate has established itself as one of the most promising in the region, to the point that its allocations are already highly sought after.
The vineyard extends over approximately 4.3 hectares spread across the communes of Villeneuve-sous-Pymont, Savagna and L'Étoile, a stone's throw from Lons-le-Saunier. The vines flourish on soils of grey marls and clays, notably Lias marls, on hillsides that are sometimes steep and well-exposed, oriented due east. These typically Jurassian terroirs lend the wines their tension, their minerality and their remarkable aging potential.
The estate has the distinctive characteristic of producing principally white wines, from the two great Jura grape varieties, Chardonnay and Savagnin, complemented by a very small production of red in Gamay. The vines are cultivated under certified organic farming, with practices drawn from biodynamics, every gesture guided by respect for nature and the pursuit of profoundly living wines. This demanding and attentive approach to the living world is the foundation of a raw material of great purity.
In the cellar, the philosophy is one of sincerity and patience. The whites are pressed directly, then vinified as naturally as possible, without inputs or additives, using only indigenous yeasts. The estate's signature lies in long lees aging, generally in old barrels, for one to two years depending on the cuvée — a step that brings substance, depth and complexity while preserving freshness.
Marc and Anne-Cécile compose their cuvées by blending several barrels, each with its own characteristics, in a constant pursuit of balance and finesse. Some cuvées are even aged without added sulphur, in the purest natural wine spirit. The result is wines that are chiselled, taut and mineral, at once powerful and digestible, which faithfully convey the authenticity of their marl terroir and pair beautifully with regional specialities, starting with a well-aged Comté.
Sous les Grands Prés: the estate's flagship cuvée, this 100% Chardonnay comes from a steep hillside oriented due east, on a terroir of Lias marls. Pressed directly then aged on lees in old barrels for around two years, sometimes without added sulphur, it unveils an intense golden robe and a rich nose of white and yellow fruits, lightly buttery. The palate, ample, combines power, length and beautiful tension.
La Madeleine: a true Proustian madeleine, this 100% Chardonnay is born from the blending of several plots on the Lias marls at Villeneuve-sous-Pymont. Pressed directly and aged on lees in old barrels for around one year, it captivates with its chiselled profile, on fresh lemon zest, a fine smoky note and floral touches, carried by a radiant acidity that makes it both digestible and energetic.
Au Poirier: this 100% Savagnin comes from the lieu-dit Au Poirier Doré, on a terroir of Lias marls, and benefits from lees aging of around twenty-two months in old barrels, in natural vinification. Finely textured, it unveils an elegant peaty character, notes of baked apple, tarte tatin and a hint of calvados, far from caricature, with a mineral attack and a beautiful length that is almost champenoise.
B.A.Ba: the estate's rare red cuvée, crafted from Gamay, it illustrates the duo's desire to explore different expressions of the Jura terroir. Fresh, fruity and indulgent, it is best enjoyed in its youth.
COLLECTION NEAR PARIS & VAT REFUND FOR TOURISTS
Free collection in our warehouse near central Paris (92)