Jules Desjourneys

The Jules Desjourneys wine estate is the brainchild of Fabien Duperray, a man of as much character as stature.

Originally from the Lyon region, Fabien wasn't born with his feet in the vineyard: his parents didn't pass down either vineyard land or a wine estate to him, but rather a taste for books, culture and a few essential values, including patience and a job well done. However, his taste for wine has been ingrained in him for a long time. When he was only a dozen years old, his father, who was in the habit of celebrating great events by buying first great classified growths, made him taste a Château Margaux 1964: it was decided, one day he would sell wine or become a winemaker... or both!

It was at the turn of his forties, in 2006, that Fabien was finally able to make his dream come true. To become a winemaker in his own right and pursue his idea of great wine. He set his sights on several hectares of old vines located on some of the best terroirs in Beaujolais, between Fleurie, Moulin-à-Vent and Chénas.

Domaine Jules Desjourneys was born. Fabien worked tirelessly to implement his sensitive, uncluttered vision of wine, a vision guided by the thought and experience of some illustrious elders. Jules Chauvet and Jacques Puisais spring to mind. He immerses himself in their writings to better understand the fascinating secrets of wine aromas, to which he is still particularly sensitive today.

His role models also include Jean-François Coche-Dury, the iconic winemaker from Meursault. With such mentors, it was easy to imagine that this great lover of Côte de Beaune whites would not be able to resist the call of Chardonnay for long!

After establishing his red wines as the most accomplished expressions of Beaujolais terroirs, Fabien embarked on this new adventure in partnership with Christophe Thibert, winemaker in Fuissé. Initially, Christophe, fascinated by the aesthetics and prodigious precision ofArnaud Ente's wines, turned to Fabien and Arnaud for valuable advice on viticulture and winemaking. Pleased with the work they had accomplished together, Fabien finally proposed to Christophe in 2013 that they enter into a long-term partnership to work together on a selection of parcels from the original 30 hectares of Domaine Thibert.

This is how Jules Desjourneys' signature whites were born with the 2014 vintage. Fabien and Christophe then worked together on some of the finest terroirs in the Pouilly-Fuissé and Pouilly-Vinzelles appellations, such as Ménétrières, Vignes Blanches and Longeays. They will also be working on less prestigious but equally high-quality terroirs on the southern slopes of Fuissé, for example, or in Pouilly-Loché.

The wine estate has just been awarded its second star by RVF.