Les Pieds sur Terre came to life in 2014, when 26 year old Valentin Morel took over the families vineyards and winery in Poligny.

Following in his father’s footsteps though was not what Valentin had set out to do when he finished school. A deep thinker, he went to university to study law, with the bold plan of wanting to change the world (as many ambitious 19 and 20 year olds do) He completed his degree and was employed by the French Government as a lawyer. But within a month, Valentin soon understood that public service was not for him and that he could not meet his ideals for change whilst working for the government. He realised that his father, a humble vigneron, could do more to change the world than he as a lawyer. 

He went and studied agriculture and winemaking in Alsace, which was to become one of the best decisions Valentin made. Whilst the oenology school in Beaune is deemed to be the best in France, in Alsace he found that the teachings were far more advanced when it came to organic agriculture, both ideas and principles, and had been for some years. He also met Vincent Marie (No Control) whom has become a dear friend and confident. 

Valentin’s focus when he went to Alsace had been on the agriculture and viticulture side of things. But through Vincent he was introduced to natural wines, to Bruno Schueller and Pierre Frick and this was when he had his aha moment of this is the wine I want to produce. Valentin likes to say it’s a paradox, but he discovered the natural wines of Jura whilst in Alsace. 

Returning home to Poligny, the first thing Valentin did was convert the 6 hectares of vineyards to biodynamic farming practises, influenced not only by the teachings of Steiner but by Masanobu Fukuoka, the Japanese writer of The One Straw Revolution. When it came to soil health, he learnt from Patrick Meyer whilst he was in Alsace ways to improve the properties of the soil via cover crop plantings. Valentin believes in the holistic approach and uses radishes and clover for putting nitrogen back into the soil

The name Les Pieds sur Terre, meaning ‘Feet on Earth’ came first as a reflection of a state of mind. But it is also a nod to the French radio program where guests are left to express themselves without intervention from the journalist.

To distinguish himself from his father, Valentin made the decision to produce single vineyard wines, where Jean Luc had always produced cépage wines. Additionally over the coming years, Stephane Tissot became an influence with respect to terroir and understanding its differences, a champion of expressing terroir thorough the wine in the bottle. It was a philosophy that Valentin wanted to focus on. He adds If you make a wine with added enzymes and sulphur, then of course the terroir will disappear. But when you work in organic and biodynamics, you can express the terroir, you can express your work done in the vineyard.

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THE VINEYARDS

Les Trouillots
Located north of the village of Poligny, this 2.8 ha site looks to the south. The vines were planted between 1978 - 1982 and consist of Chardonnay (0.6ha) Savagnin (0.6 ha) Pinot Noir (0.6 ha) Trousseau (0.6 ha) and Poulsard (0.4ha). The soil is grey marl (clay limestone) and gryphées (limestone layer filled with small fossilised shells). All varieties are bottled individually, with the exception of 2017 when frost decimated 75% of the vineyard and Valentin bottled the red varieties together.

Saint Savin
To the south of Poligny just half a kilometre from the village, with western exposure. Planted in 1980, this is a 1 hectare plot of Chardonnay. The soil here is very different, broken limestone over grey marl with the mountain range on its eastern side. 

Champ d'Aubert
Located just to the west of the Les Trouillots vineyard. Planted in 1978, this small plot is 0.3 ha of Chardonnay with a south west exposure. The soil, like Les Trouillots, is grey marl gryphées.

Bois d'Arnaux 
Further north from Les Trouillots, the plot was purchased in 2014 and Valentin began planting in 2015. Only local Jura varieties were planted: Savagnin, Poulsard and Trousseau. The cuttings were massale selection from Labet and Bornard. Facing west, the soils are some of the oldest in the Jura, Iris Marl (multi coloured marls from the Triassic period). The first wines from this site were in the 2018 harvest and have not yet been bottled

Les Boutasses
A 0.2 hectare parcel planted to hybrid varieties in 2017. A site prone to frost, so local varieties did not make sense. Valentin had begun thinking about hybrids when at school in Alsace. The soils are Iris marl.

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From 2017 there has been a noticeable progression and improvement with the wines (especially the reds) which is attributed to changes Valentin has made with the vinification. Up until this point, he had been de-stemming all his red grapes and did a lot of remontage (to give oxygen to the yeast and colour to the wine). But after a discussion with Jean Francois Ganevat at a tasting, he changed tact. Ganevat after trying his wines told him, you can do much better than this. He also asked how are you making the wine. Valentin explained, and Jean Francois asked him a simple question; why would you want to add colour. Ganevat advised him to stop what he was doing, put the grapes in the tank, close it up and come back in two weeks. Just taste the wine along the way.

Poulsard is a reductive grape, and the logic to give oxygen through the ferment to balance the reduction, was Valentin’s thinking. But this is incorrect, it actually increases the reduction. After following the advice from Ganevat, there has been no reduction on his red wines since.

From 2017 on Valentin says he feels more relaxed within himself and his work. He has understood Vincent Marie’s idea of No Control — just let things be. And if a wine is not ready for bottle, then it shall remain in tank or barrel. The Chardonnay from 2017 is a fine example of this.

Valentin is producing wines of precision, minerality and finesse, expressive of where they are from: the Jura. All wines are un-fined, unfiltered and without sulphur additions.