Coup d'Jus 2018

Coup d'Jus by Julien Pineau is a red wine made from Cot grapes in the Loire Valley.

Coup d'Jus is a clear example of Julien's intention, his idea of making wines capable of surprising and sometimes being interpreted in a truly extraordinary way: the Cot does not transcend its dark and spicy soul, which is however "lightened and enriched" by an agile and fresh sip.

The Winery: Julien Pineau

Born in Tours and the son of a professional chef, Julien is a very curious and intelligent young man who gained experience working in a wide variety of places and contexts.
For a long time, he thought of himself as a "restaurateur," seeing the opening of a wine bar in his future, but life and his encounters led him instead to discover the vineyard. The call, as he says, came during a harvest at Lise and Bertrand Jousset's in Montlouis, when he felt drawn to agriculture, the composition of the soil, and the biodiversity that inhabits the vineyard. This experience was followed by others, first at Noëlla Morantin and then at Les Terres Promises in Provence. Julien's game changed in 2015 when he managed to buy half of the land for sale from Catherine Roussel, and her legendary Domaine Clos Roche ' Blanche, which closed its doors with the 2014 vintage.
We are in Touraine, on the banks of the Cher river, and so begins the adventure of Julien Pineau, wine producer, with his 6 hectares of vineyards planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Côt, Cabernet Franc, and Pineau d'Aunis. With the help of his wife, an agronomist, Julien set up his vineyards, working them with horses, continuing the tradition and work of Clos Roche Blanche. Fruit trees are continuously planted within his vineyard hectares, which alternately serve as pasture for animals. The winemaking style is varied. Julien's most important cuvées always achieve good ripeness, with a resulting richness in the sip, both for whites and reds, and it often happens that the wines age for several months, even 24, before being put on the market. The simpler wines, especially in recent years, are always lightly extracted and focused on immediacy, freshness, and ease of drinking. The winery, today, presents an unusual range of wines, having suffered in the 2021 vintage, like many others, from problems of frost, powdery mildew, and hail, losing about 90% of the harvest. His friendship and contacts with other French farmers and producers helped him stay afloat.