JULIEN LABET

DOMAINE LABET

 

Domaine Labet is a small family business located in Rotalier in the southern part of the appellation Côtes du Jura. Here Alain Labet at the end of the 1980s was probably the first vignerons of the Jura to produce topped white wines (such as Pierre Overnoy for example), since the traditional method of making wine was not to top up the barrels, letting “La part des Anges” (The Part of the Angels) evaporated, to give room for oxygen to enter and under the veil of Flor that was going to cover the surface of the wine, the oxidative notes took life. These notes obviously tend to dominate the aromatic profile of a wine, consequently the need for more territorial, precise and well-defined whites led to the choice of Alain, and later his son Julien, to create white wines produced with skill. This small revolution has led many to use this method and to make the Jura area a forge of extraordinary white wines. Julien, after having worked at Ramonet in Burgundy, has perfectly understood how to enhance his wines, and once back home he was able to concentrate on his domaine where his father already practiced respectful and ethical agriculture, abolishing the use of any chemical substance and reducing the use of sulfur to a minimum, even in the wettest years, as clearly stated on the label behind each bottle, a great example of clarity and transparency. Labet's white wines are vinified and aged in Barrique and Demi-Muid, for about 2 years and generally, do not make prolonged maceration. The reds are partially de-stemmed and aged in large wooden barrels. Bottling takes place in spring, when the wines are cold and clear, if the wine is veiled, it is gently filtered.