The World's JUICIEST Mondeuse & Other Treasures from Bugey's New Wave... ALL UNDER $30 from Domaine de la Ferme de Jeanne and Camille & Mathieu Apffel!

Recently, I've tasted delicious wines from a slew of younger vignerons that broadcast a style I haven't yet tasted from the small Alpine region of Bugey. Alpine, yes - but technically sitting at the end of the Jura Mountains, with major influence coming in from the Jura, Burgundy, and even the Rhône. Its most intimate influence, however, comes from the closely neighboring Savoie. Professionals looking to explore and experiment are taking on the slopes of Bugey with especially strong conviction as many established farmers and producers of the area retire from decades of winegrowing. There is a vacuum to fill, and from what I've noticed, a rush of brilliant talent has seized the opportunity to fill it.

In 2011, Yves Balsollier decided he was done making wine. He eventually (in 2018) sold his small Bugey estate, in the tiny commune of Flaxieu, to a Paris lawyer named Regis Bernard and his wife, Lynn. Between 1981 and 1995, Yves and his family had been practicing polycultural farming, but after gaining local fame for the small quantities of wine they released, their focus pivoted to viticulture. It's obvious that the Bernards greatly appreciate the accomplishments of their predecessors and that they see themselves as an extension of a rich winemaking heritage here. But, as the current caretakers of these vines, they have their own impact to make, using their own ideas and methods.

Before jumping into the real details behind La Ferme de Jeanne, take another look at the header image. In an email conversation, I asked Regis about the land formation in the distance. "It's the Grand Colombier," he wrote, "the last mountain of the Jura." Between the Grand Colombier and Flaxieu are both the famous Rhône River and Lac du Bourget, the largest and deepest lake in France (not counting Lake Geneva, which the country shares with Switzerland). In the photo above, those low-hanging, beautifully thin clouds are floating over these iconic waters.

Back to the story: In 2017, while on a trip to Beaujolais, Regis had a game-changing encounter with Nadège Allouch, a young woman with serious winemaking experience. According to Terrestrial Wine Co., our supplier the domaine's wines in NYC, Nadège "previously worked in many countries, as well as stints in Burgundy, Alsace, Côte Rotie, and Bordeaux." She has a diploma in viticulture and oenology and she believes deeply in the ways of organic and biodynamic farming. Regis liked that Nadège wanted to use low-intervention techniques in the cellar also, promoting indigenous fermentations and limited sulfur additions. But, most importantly, he respected her passion. Like him, it wasn't a family tradition that brought her into winemaking. He liked that she chose to be in the business because she love it.

Today, Domaine de la Ferme de Jeanne is a total of 9 hectares, working organically and pushing towards biodynamic certification. It produces more Chardonnay than anything else (I haven't had the chance to taste) but with it's small amount of Mondeuse (6% of the production) and Jacquère (...another 6%), this team is making a remarkable pair of wines with a distinct, full-of-life character. The first wine on offer today, L'Ehemere Mondeuse 2020, goes through carbonic fermentation - and I have never tasted more compelling fruit from a bottle of Mondeuse in my Alpine-focused career. When I asked Regis, why Carbonic? he answered, "to improve flavors and reduce tannins." It's delicious and different... and just above $20.

The color in the glass is a pale red cherry. The nose is a wonderfully plump bouquet of fresh dark flowers, pomegranate and red apple. There are aromatic nuances of mint and alpine smoke, finishing with a lovely touch of candied strawberry. On the palate, it is similarly round - definitely the juiciest character of any Mondeuse I've tasted as of yet. Flavors of ripe cherries, blueberries and blackberries offer the sensation of plucking and eating wild fruit. Like all good Mondeuse, however, there is a bitter expression, like the slightly tannic purple skin of a plum. Structurally, there is a simple and prickly grip to the mouthfeel paired with bright, refreshing acidity.

I brought Regis and Nadége's 2019 Jacquère down to North Carolina last weekend and my mother-in-law loved it. I warned her it might be a little wild, and it was, but it had an undeniable drinkability that we both attributed to the wine's great lemony fruit and herbal tones.

This Jacquère is a very clean lemon in color. The nose is grassy and bright, with aromas of foraged yellow apple, spicy white pepper, wispy smoke and crunchy salinity. The palate is complex with layers of citrus, both raw lemon pulp and orange peel. There are sparky flavors of limestone, flint, and sea salt that keep the tongue perked. The wine has high, healthy acidity and an engaging textural swish. The finish is herbaceous and earthy. While definitely mineral-driven, the wine displays more grit than most Jacquère I've tasted. A delicious wine with a radical, but balanced, profile.

Mathieu Apffel, one of my favorite winemakers in the Savoie, has also recently invested in Bugey. Mathieu and his wife Camille have not left their home-turf of Apremont, where they make some of the best wines of the area, but after the crew behind Domaine de Soleyane in Parves retired in 2019, they let the talented Savoie couple pick and vinify their 2020 grapes. Read a great quote from Mathieu from the Louis/Dressner website below, which sums up the couple's philosophy and practices in the cellar.

"Since I started making wine in 2013, I've always used native yeasts, but would gently filter the wines and add sulfur at bottling. At a certain point I started realizing that I loved the wine BEFORE it was bottled. The finished product felt like it was stripped of something essential. I think the solids in the wine are super important. So I started experimenting, failed quite a bit but now feel comfortable working this way."

The 2020 wines from the vines in Parves are labeled Soleyane and drink like a slightly leaner version of the Apffel's other wines from further east in the Savoie. The Soleyane Rouge is Mondeuse with 15% Pinot Noir - weighing in at a beautiful 10% alcohol. Mondeuse can pull off ABV magic like no other red grape in the universe. The Soleyane Blanc is 100% Altesse - and refreshingly unlike the Altesse from most of the Alps' most famous villages for Roussette (the regional name for the grape).

The Soleyane Rouge has a full bouquet, with plum and blackberry, along with great spice - clove and black pepper. An aromatic warmness develops, with aromas of sandalwood and cedar. On the palate, there is something slightly Cab Franc about it, with crushed graphite and green herbs. Fruits of red apple and cassis last on the tongue until the wine's finish, when a savory, Syrah-like touch of black olive appears. A slightly chewy dash of tannin and the wine's medium acidity support a core of great minerality.

The Soleyane Blanc has a zingy yellow hue in the glass with flashes of green. On the nose, there are aromas of yellow apple, dried lemon, and richer smells of apricot and spice. After a bit of time open the bouquet softens into a more floral and herbal character. The precision of flavors here add more than just taste to this white- the lemon and lime fruits give a zap to it's structure. Lively salt and grassy goodness on the tongue, with a great finish of candied citrus peel.

Remarkably well-priced, the bottles on today's offer are some of the most interesting wines I've tasted in 2022. It'll take more tasting and more time before we can really understand what is happening in Bugey (and if there is actually a "movement" involving low-intervention techniques and organic/bio farming), but I've got the feeling there is something awesome brewing... I mean, fermenting, of course. So, have you ever bought a case of Bugey wines? Today might be the day! David Hatzopoulos

**Also included here are a few great Savoie wines from the Apffels. The VERY LIMITED Mondeuse Ô Narcisse 2020 and the current vintage of the ever-so-lovely Avant la Tempête.**