2021 Maison Maenad De l'Avant

WINEMAKER: Katie Worobeck
REGION: Jura, FR
VARIETY: Chardonnay
VITICULTURE: Organic/Biodynamic 

Chardonnay from forty year old vines planted over red clay and limestone in ‘Les Varrons’. The grapes were pressed directly in an old vertical press and moved by gravity into old demi muids for a year of élevage. A brilliant straw yellow in the glass, this draws you in with delicate notes of minerals and smoke, whilst the palate vibrates with great energy, citrus and stones.

In just a handful of vintages Katie Worobeck has already announced herself as one of the Jura’s brightest young talents and one to watch in this most exciting of regions. Originally from Canada, Katie developed an interest in wine and organic farming whilst studying, and after several years working amongst the vines in her native Ontario, she moved to France and landed a dream job working alongside the legendary Anne and Jean-François Ganevat in the Jura’s South.

After five years working alongside the Ganevats, Katie began looking after a parcel of old vines planted over clay and limestone in the Sud Revermont’s famed lieu-dit ‘Les Varrons’. Here she grows Chardonnay, along with a few rows of Gamay and old hybrids. She now tends a further three hectares of old vines planted over limestone and marl in the picturesque lieu-dit of ‘Au Carre’. Surrounded by forest high in the hills around Grusse, here all the Jurassic varieties are present.

In the vines her approach is to work alongside nature, farming organically with biodynamic principles and a real focus on soil health. She has begun planting trees and shrubs amongst the vines and hopes to rotate livestock amongst the parcels to promote diversity. The wines are made in an old cave underneath her home in the village of Orbagna and here she works with great attention to detail. Pressing is done manually, élevage takes place in old barrels of various sizes and any movement is done by gravity. The wines are bottled unfiltered, with no additions.

There is a lightness of touch that pervades Katie’s work, resulting in wines that even in the context of the Jura are delicate, fragrant and hauntingly beautiful.