JAUFRÉ MAS, LA TRUTRUKA, 2022

I was fortunate to first taste Jaufré’s wines at the Beysang/Hurtubise household in south Beaujolais, which a friend of Raphael's had brought straight from the cellar, bottled specially in one of their recycled litre bottle. It was a captivating introduction to a very exciting new producer, a Gamay d'Auvergne brimming with life that stayed fresh and delicious all day open (and into the next). Jaufré Mas, is a long time friend of Raphael & Emelie's from their time working in the Auvergne and his day job is spent working for Patrick Bouju running the cellar and working the vines.

He has now started his own project with the help of Patrick and other luminaries of the region, finding four small parcels spread across one hectare in total and building a very DIY cellar in a barn at the back of his house. The first money went on an expensive pump, every year he will add and improve, while still working for Patrick.

La Trutruka is from a plot of 50-year-old Gamay d'Auvergne, planted on a limestone hillside terroir, facing east. The hot and dry year that was 2022 gave him beautiful grapes, very healthy which were vinified as whole cluster for three weeks before pressing. Fermentation finished before the cold winter and he racked off the wine, which remained on fine lees until bottling at the end of May 2023. 

It's a delicious vibrant and pretty juicy expression of one of our favourite varietals, brimming with wild fruit. A very promising start!