Jérémy Decoster’s story is one of the right grapes grown in the right place by the right person. With partner Isabelle Coiffier, Decoster organically farms six hectares across five small plots in the Belley basin around Bugey in the extreme south of the Jura Massif. It’s a rich agrarian landscape, full of lush meadows and forests sheltered by the majestic Le Grand Colombier and Bugey Mountains. Stunning doesn’t come close!

Soils are a key part of the Les Cortis story. Composition across the five plots ranges from limestone (Cretaceous) rock to more silty, pebbly (moraines) soils, with these differences expressed clearly in the wines. Decoster sums it up best: “Wines from the Cretaceous (such as Naxide, Uzée or Brisûre) are rather discreet but deep, while those from the moraines (Mérune) are more seductive, exotic and citrusy.”

In the vines, Decoster practices his own brand of regenerative agriculture. Jérémy talks of farming soils, not vines, and to this end, the practice is entirely organic with biodynamic preparations to enhance the plant’s natural defences. His plots are mostly co-planted, reflected in wines which are primarily blends of locally significant varieties (Mondeuse, Altesse and Gamay, among others).