# Vin de France "Ryôkan" (2018)

- **Producer:** Thomas Popy
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chardonnay
- **Region:** Jura, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €200
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** lemon, apple, peach, quince, smoke, dried apricot, honey, almond, hazelnut

## About this wine

Thomas Popy is a highly sought-after natural winemaker based in Mesnay, Jura. After honing his skills in Beaujolais with icons like Julie Balagny and Michel Guignier, Popy trained under Emmanuel Houillon at the legendary Maison Pierre Overnoy in Pupillin. He now operates from a tiny cellar hidden beneath a trapdoor in his family kitchen, producing micro-allocation natural wines guided by the philosophy of patience, trust, and silence. The cuvée name Ryôkan draws inspiration from Japanese Zen tranquility.

## Interesting facts

- Thomas Popy accesses his tiny, secluded wine cellar through a hidden trapdoor in his kitchen floor.
- Named Ryôkan after the Japanese concept of Zen tranquility, reflecting its unhurried 3-year maturation.
- Includes Melon à Queue Rouge, a rare historic Jura Chardonnay clone known for its red stems.

## Food pairing

High natural acidity cuts cleanly through rich, broad sauces and mature cheeses, while the deep textural body stands up to flavorful poultry and shellfish.

## Wine making process

Sourced from old vines over 50 years old across three plots in Mesnay planted on Jurassic marl and limestone soils, including the historic red-stemmed mutation Melon à Queue Rouge. The grapes are hand-harvested and spontaneously fermented with indigenous yeasts. The wine undergoes a prolonged élevage of roughly 24 months in neutral oak casks followed by 12 months in stainless steel. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with zero added sulfites.