Croix & Courbet is a collaboration between Burgundian winemaker David Croix (Domaine des Croix) and Jura native Damien Courbet (Domaine Courbet). Friends for more than two decades, the two launched their project in 2019 to explore the full potential of savagnin, the Jura’s ancient and emblematic white grape. While the region is best known for its oxidative styles, Croix & Courbet focus on ouillé, or topped-up wines, a French approach that allows the floral, mineral, and textural character of savagnin to shine. Farmed organically and biodynamically, their small holdings are vinified parcel by parcel, producing some of the Jura’s most exciting new expressions.

En Chemenot is a north-facing slope just east of Arbois, planted to savagnin in 2004 on blue and grey marl at 350 meters. Farmed biodynamically and hand-harvested, the grapes fermented naturally in a concrete egg (90%) and a single used barrel, then rested on lees before a gentle bottling with minimal sulfur. The 2021 vintage is taut and mineral, its tension shaped by the cool marl soils and the energy of the egg fermentation. Aromas of green pear, ginger, and honeysuckle lead into a linear, saline palate layered with citrus zest, pithy texture, and a hint of cucumber and pink salt. Long and driven, it opens beautifully with air, revealing both lift and depth and in the glass.

Croix and Courbet are out to highlight the delicate, floral side of savagnin, pushing boundaries with a freedom that comes from making wine on their own terms. With only a few thousand bottles produced, it is an exciting glimpse of what lies ahead from this duo, and we can’t wait for each new release.