Collection: Bruno Bienaime

Saint-Lamain, Jura - 3ha. under vine - Organic viticulture

I had heard of Bruno’s wines, though was never able to find them to taste, from a friend in Champagne. Here Bruno is well known after working with Vincent Laval for seven years. Bruno moved to the Jura with his family from Reims, where he is from. For him the Jura was the best area for being able to create the wines he envisaged. He was able to locate and purchase a few parcels around Arlay and Château-Chalon. In truth it has been a very hard journey, with personal tragedy, the string of difficult vintages and local bureaucracy always holding him back. It is more than likely that this is the first time you have read about his wines. Bruno, on top of being slightly reclusive, has made the decision from the start to focus on exports, around 95% of his production, so it is very rare to find his wines in France. Even we have only tried his wines twice in bottle. The two barrel tastings of the 21 and 22 harvest are what has made us wait two years for the UK to be able to receive its 84-bottle allocation. Farming is by horse and always experimental. Bruno even goes so far as to try and plant for the future, attempting to plant a hectare of Assyrtiko and Montepulciano, sadly local government would not allow him, to attempt to counteract the evident global warming. In the cellar a small dose of sulphur at press and then ideally no additions. The wines are not the reductive mineral line of some, they are more generous and rounded, yet with the Jura vividness.