{"title":"Didier \u0026 Jules Grappe","description":"\u003cp\u003eWe first met Didier back in the early 2010s in the chaos of the Loire salons. Working our way through the fine list of Jura growers on show, the electric poise of Didier’s wines made a real impression on us – indeed, it was he who, with a wink, relieved us of a crumpled €50 in exchange for a mixed case that served as our souvenir of the weekend. A lot has changed at his domaine since then – no longer working under Côtes-du-Jura, Didier has embraced the growth of hybrid varietals, which are not permitted under the AOC. In a somewhat iconoclastic flourish, he has also done away with traditional cork closures in favour of screw-caps. His son Jules is now his partner in the business. The wines are as brilliant as we remember. Well over a decade after our first encounter, we’re so happy to now be working with Didier – a straight-talking, deep thinker who, by his own admission, ‘does not like problems’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn a region with the prestige of Jura - the small domaines clustered around Arbois-Pupillin and their even tinier yields, the who’s-who of prized cult growers and so-called unicorn wines - Didier’s path is a curious one, at first glance perhaps hard to get one’s head around. But for all that Jura is built on the holy quartet of Chardonnay, Savagnin, Poulsard and Trousseau, it is these signature varietals that, with the changing climate, Didier now feels are compromised in their long-term cultivation here. Describing things in terms one might associate with the palliative care of a loved one, he speaks of his concern regarding the dozens of sprays of copper and sulphur required in an average year to protect these vines from disease. It is a process of intervention at odds with his completely additive-free approach in the cellar, so he has decided to make the bold break with tradition in favour of a sustainable path for the future. In a typically audacious remark, he declares, ‘there is no such thing as tradition’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Seyve Villard and Léon Millot hybrids he has planted he is clearly in love with – ‘beautiful, amazing…’ he gestures, closing his eyes and shaking his head with a smile as he trundles down the rows of vines seated on a tiny modified child’s bicycle. Both require no vineyard treatments at all and are planted over limestone and marl that, before this, had not been used for the cultivation of vines for close to a century – so there are no historic treatments in the ground either, just healthy soils. The vineyards sit in peaceful isolation, surrounded by woodland around Saint-Lothain, a short walk from the cellar. During another particularly trying 2024 vintage, with low yields again across the region, these vines produced a contrasting bountiful harvest. It’s hard to find fault in Didier’s logic when you look at the results.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen tasting the wines from these vineyards back at the cellar, we can’t help but observe how uncannily of this place they feel in character – “of course, we are in Jura – what did you expect?” he asks sternly... then flashes a grin. It’s clear that the use of these somewhat alien hybrids is, in Didier’s eyes, not alien at all; they serve as alternate channels or transmitters of this same terroir, which ultimately has the biggest impact on the finished article. It’s fascinating to feel the familiar tension, purity and verve that these unmistakably Jura wines possess. These hybrids make up around 1.5 hectares of the 5-hectare domaine, so they are still in the minority at this point, but Didier has made it clear that this is what he will plant here in the future – no more of the Chardonnay, Savagnin, Trousseau, Poulsard and Pinot Noir that makes up the other 3.5 hectares. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs he slowly but surely builds on his hybrid work, we are happy to have a selection of wines that one might consider more typical alongside them – ouillé-style Chardonnay with gorgeous flinty reduction and a flash of barrel opulence, electrically charged Savagnin, pristine from tank, as well as the classic sous voile style, where Chardonnay is aged under flor for a couple of years in old barrels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than swimming against the tide for the sake of nonconformity, or trying to stand out for being different, it’s clear that Didier’s choices come from a place of carefully considered logic and reason. He cares less about keeping up appearances and more about function, purpose, longevity and – of course – making the best wine he can, as naturally as possible. Time will tell whether, in another ten years, more will be following his lead in this part of the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"didier-grappe-tohu-bohu","title":"Tohu Bohu 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhilst his new love is hybrids, Didier still has more than enough time for the classics - here we have an opulent style of topped-up \u003cem\u003eouillé\u003c\/em\u003e Chardonnay. The barrel notes are balanced, but can be picked up on immediately - that rich butterscotch, coconut sort of character that feels to intensify the fruit. Lemon is oily, or like a dense lemon curd; bruised orchard pears, a marmalade-y pithiness and concentration, and a deep-set, struck-match reduction that coils off and melds into the electric acids. Power and purity in great harmony.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Didier \u0026 Jules Grappe","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57411861971326,"sku":"WAY-GRAP-TOHU","price":38.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/8259\/2742\/files\/Didier_and_Jules_Grappe_Tohu_Bohu.jpg?v=1780504738"},{"product_id":"didier-grappe-seyve-villard","title":"Seyve Villard 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn atypical Jura white made using a direct-press of the Seyve Villard hybrid - a disease-resistant varietal that requires no herbicide or pesticide vineyard treatments. It flourishes over the red and grey marls and fossil-rich Jurassic limestone of the region, producing a wine that lacks none of the tension and edge you'd hope for from its native Chardonnay or Savagnin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith pristine clarity it shows crisp green apple and preserved lemon, moving through into something more soft and lactic. Fresh and lifted, there are some aromatic herbals and florals above a flinty reduction at the wine's core. So much precision and detail here, with an unwavering, long finish of mouthwatering acids. It carries a presence and electric charge that is unmistakably Jura.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Didier \u0026 Jules Grappe","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57411862659454,"sku":"WAY-GRAP-SEYVE","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/8259\/2742\/files\/Didier_and_Jules_Grappe_Seyve_Villard_2024.jpg?v=1780504652"},{"product_id":"didier-grappe-pif-purple-24","title":"Pif Purple 2024","description":"\u003cp\u003eAnother of Didier's wines from hybrid vines, here using the white Seyve Villard in a co-fermentation with the red Léon Millot varietal. It is amazing to see how it takes on the characteristics of a more familiar Jura red regardless. It has the translucent appearance, ethereal quality and exotic aromatics one might associate with the more expressive examples of Trousseau or Poulsard. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the name would suggest, the vivid purple pigment comes from the Léon Millot, creating an inviting shade in the glass. An intriguing pull of aromatics, from blueberry and watermelon, through blackcurrant liquorice with a piquant touch of volatile. On the palate there are fine, powdery tannins and a deliciously fluid, juicy immediacy. At just 10 degrees of alcohol it goes down so easily. A lovely meld of ripe summer strawberry and spiced red apple that works best served chilled.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhole bunches of both varietals were lightly crushed to create a little juice, then left for 2 weeks before pressing into steel to rest for 9 months before bottling with no additions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Didier \u0026 Jules Grappe","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57411865215358,"sku":"WAY-GRAP-PIF","price":34.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/8259\/2742\/files\/Didier_and_Jules_Grappe_Pif_Purple_2024.jpg?v=1780504571"},{"product_id":"didier-grappe-champs-rouges-voile","title":"Champs Rouges Voile 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe intense, Comté-loving, oxidative \u003cem\u003esous voile \u003c\/em\u003estyle of Chardonnay. Here, over the course of almost two years, the wine aged in old oak barrels with no topping-up to form its flor. Highly savoury, the primary fruit has given way to saline flavours of toasted almond and walnut, honey and woody spices. That said, there is fruit to be found too - lemon rinds with a waxy quality and stewed fig provide the counterpoint. With incredible poise and complexity, this special wine has a finish that seems to last for days. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA beautiful foil to an after-dinner cheese course, or even as an aperitif alongside some thinly sliced charcuterie to whet the appetite.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Didier \u0026 Jules Grappe","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57411867607422,"sku":"WAY-GRAP-VOILE","price":38.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/8259\/2742\/files\/Didier_and_Jules_Grappe_Voile_Champs_Rougees.jpg?v=1780504492"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0605\/8259\/2742\/collections\/square_3eff96bf-0b40-448c-b1e2-7ce6ff0dc705.jpg?v=1781262029","url":"https:\/\/waywardwines.co.uk\/collections\/didier-jules-grappe\/style-cloudy-funky-wild.oembed","provider":"Wayward Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}