We could barely suppress a little jump for joy when we were introduced to the wines of Jérémy Arnaud. That was quite some time ago now. His wines are terribly good, but he doesn't make that many. For a long time there was simply too little wine for 'the Netherlands'. So we are annoyed, sigh, ponder, wait... And then suddenly there is the redeeming message from Jérémy, in short: shall we? Bien sur! Forward!
Jeremy Arnaud
The fact that you come from a winegrower family does not automatically mean that you continue that tradition. Although Jérémy logically gains experience by helping out on the family estate, it is not immediately clear to him that he wants to become a winegrower later. In the meantime, he is not a good student at school, he studies with fresh reluctance. Until he - now in his twenties - goes to study oenology in Beaune. There he sees the light, he changes from a bad student to one of the best in the class. Especially the realization that he can make his own choices gives him wings. That sense of freedom leads to him buying a piece of land of 0.55 hectares in Chablis in 2016 (lucky you!), a field in the premier cru 'Vau de Vey'. It shows courage and daring. Not first getting started on the fields of mom & dad, but immediately doing something for yourself. And it says something about Jérémy as a person: he has a vision and is professional and independent.
Agriculture:
During the numerous internships that Jérémy does during his education, he learns about the different perspectives that exist in viticulture. He comes into contact with conventional agriculture, organic and biodynamics. As a result, he knows what he especially does not want, and why. Jérémy speaks:
"Being guided by life, listening to what lives, going against the flow of the systematic. I try to let the plant express itself, to make wines that are completely different by terroir and vintage. I strive for my wines to be the expression of what they really are, and not of what we want them to be."
His half hectare of vineyard is steep. This makes it inaccessible to machines, but also means that erosion is lurking. That is why he permanently lets grass grow between the vines and all the work in the vineyard is done by hand. In this way, a number of practical reasons already ensure a healthier top layer/soil. The choices that Jérémy makes simply ensure that his vineyard becomes increasingly natural and healthy.
With your nose in the butter
This philosophy continues in the cellar where Jérémy chooses to carry out his winemaking with as little intervention as possible. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts and after long maturation the wines are bottled without filtration and with minimal sulphur addition. In the cellar we see oak barrels (mainly used), concrete eggs and stainless steel.
His first vintage was 2017 and since then his star has been traveling very fast. The domaine now covers about 4 hectares and continues to grow. Jérémy is in the process of gradually taking over the family domain. From the fields that come to his disposal, he makes beautiful Bourgogne Blancs, which distinguish themselves in origin and upbringing.
At Jérémy Arnaud , nothing is left to chance to create deep and energetic wines, full of vitality, whose quality, consistency and mastery we greatly appreciate!
