Domaine de la Touraize, Natural Wines in Arbois (Jura)

André-Jean and Héléana Morin run Domaine de la Touraize, a family-owned estate based in Arbois for eight generations. Through consistent, dedicated work that respects both the environment and the terroir, they produce wines as naturally as possible – wines that have a story to tell.

The work carried out in the vineyard using organic and biodynamic methods is continued in the cellar through a minimalist and natural approach: indigenous yeasts and minimal use of SO2. Their wines, most of which are single-vineyard expressions, are bright, vibrant and balanced, offering a distinctive expression of the Jura.

Respecting the environment and preserving biodiversity

The 13 hectares of the Domaine de la Touraize are farmed entirely using organic methods (2020) and biodynamic methods (2021). The vineyards are situated on the appellation’s historic terroirs: Les Corvées, Curoulet, Sur la Côte and La Touraize. All the Jura grape varieties are grown here: Chardonnay, Savagnin, Ploussard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir. The exposure of the plots and the soil composition are highly varied: blue marl, so-called clay-limestone and clay-silt marl, and rich gravel over marl. Thanks to this variety of terroirs, many cuvées are produced using plot-selection vinification. The grapes are harvested by hand. In the cellar, fermentation takes place naturally using indigenous yeasts, without chaptalisation, and with a very low addition of SO2.

Winemaker André-Jean Morin tells you all about it

Winegrowers for eight generations: On the death certificate of my ancestor, born in 1704, we can read ‘Etienne Morin, winegrower by trade’. In 1880, Auguste Morin, my great-grandfather, cultivated six hectares of vines. My grandfather, Marius, took over from him. In 1912, he left the estate to complete his two-year military service, then was called up in 1914 for the First World War. Seven years away… On his return, despite the work of his wife and sister, the vines were in a state of neglect, and his morale had been severely affected by the war. Marius and his family lived very modestly on the estate until 1922. At that point, he decided to stop making wine and joined the Arbois wine cooperative. Over the years, Marius, my grandfather, sold a large part of his vineyards and advised his son against becoming a winegrower. Nevertheless, in 1950, my father, Michel, decided to take over the estate—or what remained of it. He, too, joined the cooperative and cultivated up to 5 hectares of vines. His wife, Monique, supported him in his venture through her paid work elsewhere. Throughout her career, she set aside most of her holidays to organise the grape harvest. In 1985, I joined my father and, like him, became a member of the cooperative, starting with 30 ares of vines. I expanded the estate to 15 hectares. In 2009, I decided to leave the cooperative to take control of the fate of my grapes, from vine to bottle. I sold 3 hectares of vines to finance part of my project, including the construction of a winery in 2011, a wine storehouse in 2014 and a tasting room in the spring of 2015. In 2016, my wife Héléana left her job as a nurse to join the estate.

Why ‘La Touraize’ as a domain name? La Touraize is the name of a vineyard that has belonged to my family since as far back as 1704. It was the last vineyard my grandfather owned and the one where my father began his career as a winegrower.

A logo shaped like an ammonite? Ever since I was a child, when my father was ploughing a field, I would follow the tractor to collect the ‘pretty stones’ (ammonites) that the plough brought to the surface. For me, it was like a treasure hunt, like a gift from the earth. When I set up the estate, I was looking for a symbol, a logo, and my wife, who had always seen these ‘stones all over the house’, suggested I use the ammonite as a symbol.

A few photos of the La Touraize estate

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