PAUL LEWAKOWSKI
Le Vernois Chardonnay 2020
Jura, France
Chardonnay from fifty year old vines planted over marnes bleus in a particularly cool site in the shadows of the cliffs of Grusse. The grapes were pressed to barrels for three years of élevage, rendering a nuanced and elegant expression of place, which carries the subtlety and detail we’ve come to expect from the great wines of this village. A wine of impeccable balance and poise, it reveals itself slowly over time.
Chardonnay
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
In a region known for its discreet vignerons, Paul Lewakowski somehow became the Jura’s mystery man.
We first met Paul in 2022 and were left speechless after a fascinating tasting in his then-tiny cellar in the village of Maynal. We’d never heard of this guy and here he was making some of the most complex, layered wines we’d tasted from the region.
We returned the following year and were even more impressed by what we tasted and not only that, there were now four vintages of wine resting in the cellar and none of it had even been bottled yet. We agreed to take as much as possible and so began what would be the longest of waits.
Originally from Michigan, Paul moved to France to study, before developing an interest in wine and working as a caviste in Paris, then later in the cellar of Domaine des Comtes Lafon in Burgundy, and managing the biodynamic vineyards of Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace. Having fallen in love with the region, in 2015 he moved to the Jura and spent four years working alongside the Labets, before leaving to start out on his own in 2019.
Today he farms three-and-a-half hectares of vines spread out across small plots in the Sud-Revermont villages of Orbagna, Gizia and Grusse. The majority of the vines are planted with Chardonnay and Savagnin, along with a small parcel from which he makes a red field blend. In the vineyards he works with biodynamics, with a great respect for nature and a real attention to detail.
In the cellar, the whites are pressed slowly and gently, whilst the reds infuse as whole bunches for just a couple of weeks. Once in barrel, each wine rests for as long as he deems necessary, garnering layers of complexity and finesse over years of élevage.
Nothing is added or taken away, and this patient and uncompromising approach renders wines of breathtaking depth, stature and drive. Wines that are very much worth the wait.