Les Bottes Rouges Jean-Baptiste Menigoz - La pépée 2018
Jean-Baptiste Ménigoz was teaching part-time to disabled children before devoting himself entirely to viticulture in 2011. During this time, he became fixated on natural winemaking, no doubt with influence from his good friend and fellow vigneron, Raphael Monnier, who is also part of the Selection Massale family. After a couple vintages on his own (with the help of his wife, Jacqueline), he was joined by Florien Kleine Snuverink in 2014, who is originally from the Netherlands. The overarching theme is quite simple: native yeasts, no fining or filtration, depending on the cuvée, and low- to no-suplhur. As Jean-Baptiste says, “We make the wines that we like to drink ourselves.”
For the anecdote, the name of the Jurassian domain comes from the band the Wampas and their song named "Les Bottes Rouges".
La Pepée is his first Pinot Noir, sourced from two vineyards, one near La Mulatiere and the other near Les Bodines. The vines are planted in clay soils and are vinified using the same techniques as Tôt ou Tard. Élevage is a bit different, with half of the juice pressed into 600L barriques and the rest into stainless steel. He then adds a bit of SO2 at bottling, depending on the vintage.