History Domaine de la Touraize, located in Arbois, Jura, France, traces its roots to 1704, with Etienne Morin documented as a winegrower. The family has been viticulturists for eight generations, named after the "La Touraize" vineyard. In 1880, Auguste Morin managed six hectares. His son Marius revived the estate post-World War I, joining the Arbois cooperative in 1922. Michel Morin expanded it in 1950. André-Jean Morin joined in 1985, leaving the cooperative in 2009 to produce independently. With his wife Héléana since 2016, the estate now spans 15 hectares, including owned and rented parcels.
Viticulture Philosophy The domaine practices organic farming (ECOCERT certified), aspiring to biodynamic principles, with vines up to 80 years old. Soils are maintained mechanically and manually, using tools like grape hoes and ploughs to aerate and control erosion. Treatments are limited to low doses of copper (2-4 kg/ha/year) and sulphur (5 kg/treatment), applied 5-8 times annually. Pruning follows double or single Guyot methods, with sheep manure for organic matter. Disbudding and tying optimize ventilation and photosynthesis. No chemical weeding is used, emphasizing respect for the earth to express terroir through balanced, low-yield grapes.
Winemaking Techniques Grapes are hand-harvested at phenolic maturity and sorted. Reds are collected in 20 kg containers, hand-destemmed (with or without crushing), and gravity-filled into vats. Whites undergo whole-cluster pressing and 24-48 hour static settling. Fermentation uses indigenous yeasts in stainless steel or wood, without chaptalization. Whites age on lees in Vosges oak tuns or barrels for 9-24 months; reds in tuns or vats, racked once or twice. Low SO2 (0-30 mg/L) is added pre-fermentation or before bottling. Reds are unfined and unfiltered; whites filtered if needed.
Critics and Journalist Praises The domaine's wines are praised for their minerality and finesse. Rosenthal Wine Merchant notes the whites' "bare-knuckled minerality" with "Jura savor." Vivino users laud Terres Bleues for "stone fruit and cream" with minerality, ideal for feasts. Wine-Searcher critics score Les Moulins 89/100, pairing with game birds. Caves Wine Shop describes En Flandre Chardonnay as "palate-staining, seashell-like" with "intense acidity and salty-sweet interplay." Rolling Wine highlights their "drinkability and finesse," strongly defined by terroir.
