Hughes Béguet
Winemaker Patrice Béguet, born in the Jura, gave up Paris city life and returned to the Jura countryside with his wife, Caroline Hughes. They purchased heritage vineyards on great terroir, and set up a small winery under their house in Mesnay adopting sustainable viticulture practices and winemaking techniques.
They own 4.5 hectares of vineyard in the AOC Arbois appellation at over 300 metres above sea level, including one of the most coveted slopes of Arbois, Les Corvées, and a parcel on the famed Côte de Feule vineyards in Pupillin amongst others. The vines are typically 40 years old. Patrice has an environmentalist bent, sowing wild flowers, leguminous plants and cereals between vineyard rows. He works his vineyards biodynamically, applying yarrow, nettle, dandelion, chamomile and meadowsweet preparations. So committed to this lifestyle, he meticulously sources biodynamic straw for his straw wine and even an ancient breed of Alpine sheep graze on indigenous grasses between vines in the winter. Patrice has a focus on diversity in his vineyards with lots of native fruits surrounding the vines and beehives strategically placed at the bottom of vineyard slopes. The fruit is always hand harvested and sorted in the vineyards. The domaine is also a member of Le Nez Dans Le Vert, a biodynamic wine growers group in the Jura.
In the cave, he is a keen experimentalist, making use of extended macerations and egg-shaped barrels. All wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts, with some fermentations lasting up to six months. The wines complete their élevage (or "upbringing") in a mixture of stainless steel tank, eggs, and various aged old oak barrels. Very little sulphur, if any, is used for all his wines and for the 2015 vintage, he has used no SO2 at all.
The wines are all unique and individual. They are aromatically wild, profoundly textured and generous on the palate. They can be found in the most heralded Jura restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Jean Paul Jaunet.
