Tasting the Jura Wines of Oxymore
w/ Hallie Hammons of Terres Blanches
Tasting 6pm - 9pm
$10 to Taste - Free for Wine Club
Food by Motorshucker
Kitchen opens at 5pm
Happy Hours: 5-7pm
Bar Opens: 5pm
Shop Opens: 5pm
WINES
- Oxymore 'Silence Éloquent' Côtes du Jura 2023 $72
- Oxymore 'Songe Éveillé' Côtes du Jura 2023 $75
- Oxymore 'Voyage Immobile' VdF 2024 [Beaujolais] $45
- Oxymore 'Discrète Exubérance' VdF 2024 [Alsace] $46
- Oxymore 'Frugal Festin' Poulsard 2024 $60
- Oxymore 'Saine Folie' VdF 2024 [Julienas, Beaujolais] $45
Jura natives and brothers through marriage, Guilhem Henriot and Rémi Thomas are Oxymore. After working for François Rousset-Martin for nearly three years, the two bottled their first commercial vintage in 2022 out of a tiny cellar in their home village of Domblans. I had the privilege of visiting Oxymore with their US importer, Terres Blanches, in January, and tasted the 2023s and 2024s out of both barrel and bottle. The energy in the cellar was electric, and a respect for tradition was evident through a fresh, contemporary lens. The wines shimmered as our excitement remained steady through négociant and domaine pours while Rémi and Guilhem dove into the details of each wine, trading notes on each wine's evolution between tastes. These are wines that I no doubt should not get used to buying by the case, and wines you definitely should not expect to pay $10 to taste. As we often like to do, we’re charging $10 this Thursday because we want you to taste the wines, not because they’re cheap. Hallie Hammons of Terres Blanches will be joining us to pour and can further explain why this is all a bit psychotic.
After studying enology and working as a sommelier in Burgundy, Guilhem returned to Jura to work under François Rousset-Martin in nearby Nevy-sur-Seille. Rémi, a professor, joined him soon after. Today, Guilhem is full-time at Oxymore, while Rémi continues his work as a professor, but the two are quick to note they share the responsibilities. During an unforgettable dinner at Auberge de Bellevie, I noticed Rémi wasn’t across from me, fearing he was likely bored with my jet-lagged half-in-the-bag English, I noticed the two tasting with the sommelier, wearing studious expressions, noses in glass.
While the brothers got things off the ground in 2022, their fruit consisted solely of organic grapes sourced around Jura as well as Alsace and Beaujolais. Just a year later came the purchase of parcels in nearby villages of Château-Chalon, Nevy-Sur-Seille, Perrigny-Conliège, and Bréry, including parcels in climats like En Beaumont and La Chaux in the famed hilltop village of Château-Chalon. Though, even after the acquisition of these prized sites, they continue to source fruit. The temperamental growing conditions of the region make subsidizing domaine fruit a staple for many vignerons. With the Oxymore brothers, these négociant bottlings are anything but an afterthought; they are a part of what Oxymore is. I think, as a US buyer, it’s easy to fall prey to the perspective that domaine bottlings are the only ones worth paying attention to. While this may not apply to all vigneron in France, many work with sourced fruit beyond just supplementing bad vintages. These wines can be a further expression of the winemaker, helping younger folks along the path to becoming a vigneron, and in Jura, they are inherently part of the region.
