Julien Courtois
Julien Courtois is the son of natural wine pioneer Claude Courtois and lives in Sologne in Loire just like his father, who lives just a few hundred meters away. Since 1998, he has applied his father’s approach to winemaking at his own domaine Le Clos de la Bruyère, which he runs together with his girlfriend Heidi Kuka.
Seven different varieties grow in the vineyards including ungrafted Menu Pineau, which was planted in 1978. The rest consists of Orbois, Romorantin, Gascon, Côt (Malbec), Chenin and Gamay. The couple works according to strict principles of low yields, so that the wines can be as concentrated as possible, and they do all work by hand while being guided by nature’s cycles. Instead of using chemical pesticides they use plant-based solutions.
No chemicals are used in the cellar either, and instead the wines are allowed to age in casks for a long time to reach their full potential. The goal is to make wines that are authentic, unique and naturally rich in what healthy winemaking entails. The white wines often have an oxidative touch, an amber colour and show an incredible depth.
