Ploussard La Sombarde, Daniel Dugois, Jura

Ploussard La Sombarde, Daniel Dugois. Dugois mainly produces red Trousseau. But also a small amount of Ploussard (= Poulsard). His version is wonderfully light and spicy, with redcurrant, raspberry. This wine is beautifully classic, approachable and perfectly balanced. And also nicely priced. Great to drink quite young. But you can also let it age longer.

• Serve: 15 °C
• Drink: now until 2031+

Daniel Dugois, an upward trend in the Jura

Domaine Daniel Dugois has over 10 hectares of vineyards in the Arbois area. Of this, 40% is planted with Trousseau (besides Poulsard, the other typical Jura grape for red wine). Especially in recent years, the quality has seriously increased. Dugois makes beautiful wines at a reasonable price.

Currently, Philippe Dugois, Daniel's son, is in charge of daily operations. He makes wines in a traditional Jura style. This means longer aging, mostly in foudres (large wooden barrels of hundreds of liters).

Dugois: "We are looking for fruity wines with a fine structure. That's why we harvest and sort by hand on the sorting table in the vineyard. The harvest is also 100% destemmed and lightly crushed. Fermentation is spontaneous and lasts about 15 days. Afterwards, the wine ages for 8 months in oak barrels to add finesse. The wine is filtered and then bottled.

Geology: red clay soil on red marl. Yields are limited by 'green harvest' in June. This involves partially cutting away still green bunches. So that what remains gets more nutrients and produces better quality grapes. Less is more.

Ploussard La Sombarde, Daniel Dugois, Arbois, Jura