Sound the sirens! New(ish) producer alert! And an appropriately named one at that. Domaine Nøvice was founded in 2019 by Yves Roy-Salomon, a disciple of the wunderkind weapon Valentin Morel, of Les Pieds Sur Terre nearby. Since purchasing over five hectares of old-vine savagnin and poulsard in Poligny – the capital of Comté cheese, in central Jura – he’s converted to organic and biodynamic farming and planted more parcels of pinot noir, trousseau and chardonnay. The wines, as you’ve probably guessed, are totally free of additions whatsoever, pure as all get-out, and they’ve got “cult superstar in the making” written all over them.
People always ask us for pet-nat in a tin, and Nøvice delivers with not one, but two (!) to choose from. The 2023 Jus de la Folie puts chardonnay to great use, and sparkles ever so lightly with crisp, yellow orchard fruit flavour. The 2023 Jus de la Folie des Autres, meanwhile, takes gamay in all sorts of wild-edged directions, a bubbly for those who like to ride the razor edge for sure. Both rather rustic, yet thrilling all the same.
Sans the fizz, the 2022 Trouillot Chardonnay capitalises on 50-year-old vines and whole-bunch fermentation in fibreglass tanks, resulting in a tightly wound mesh of soft citrus and stone fruits, saline tang and a whisper of nuttiness. You’ll find a palate driven more by apples and quinces in the 2021 Boutasse Chardonnay, raised in stainless steel, which rocks a firmly defined mineral stamp thanks to the fossil-rich red limestone soils. Bringing up the rear, there’s the 2022 Merci Poulsard, slurpy and juicy with lots of tart red-berry and zesty mandarin character, with a touch of smoke on the finish. These are rare birds, indeed. Nervy. Raw. Invigorating.