A family owned estate, Domaine des Ronces is located in the small southern region of the Jura called Sud Revermont. The domain was established by George Mazier (a friend of J-F Ganevat no less), in 1950. Since then, his son, Michel has increased the holdings of the estate to 6 hectares while planting the red grapes Trousseau, Poulsard, and Pinot Noir along with the white grape Savagnin. The estate began farming organically and biodynamically in 2010 and in 2016, they were certified Biodynamic. At present, their small part of Jura, in the town of Orbagna, continues to fly under the radar for though the terroir is well suited to grape growing, dairy farming continues to be the most profitable business in the region.
The Mazier family prefer to work as naturally as possible in the winery. Kevin Mazier, the third generation at the estate, has now taken over from his father, who introduced him to the natural approach.* This dictates native yeast ferments, minimal filtration, and low sulphur levels. The historical style of white wine in this southern region is called ouillé, (pr.'oo-yay’) which means ‘topped off’. The more rustic (being polite here), Jura whites are aged sous voile (‘under veil’).
*In 2014 they began to include biodynamic practices such as dense cover cropping, using nettle teas as weed killer, spraying with powdered quartz, and packing manure into cow horns to be buried at intervals in the vineyard. Each carefully chosen ingredient is part of a comprehensive farming method that stretches far beyond the bounds of conventional viticulture. Today the domaine is a closed system, minimally dependent on imported materials and fiercely dedicated to the living dynamics of the farm, the vine, the animals, the wine itself. Every bit of viticultural work is designed to encourage long-term health in the vine while revitalizing the microbes hard at work in the surrounding soil. Ultimately it’s about expressing terroir: healthy soil means nutrition and moisture for a vine untouched by chemicals or drip irrigation systems. The deeper that vine digs its roots into a robust, natural soil, the more transparently the grapes represent the nuance of that place.
