O2Y is a collaboration between Olivier Guala, Yves Roy and Yoshi Kuroda. The trio (originating from France and Japan) make wine in Poligny, a small town in Jura with limestone cliffs to the east and south. The wines express a diversity of terroir, but all are made from a distinct Jura perspective. Yves and Yoshi met at the Lycée Viticole in Lons le Saunier during their training as winemakers. Yoshi had recently arrived in France with no knowledge of the language but a burning desire to learn more about the natural wines he had tasted in his native Japan, where he worked as a carpenter. Alongside O2Y, Yves now has his own winery called Nøvice and Yoshi works for Emmanuel Houillon at Domaine Overnoy. Olivier, originally from Jura, has a long-standing passion for wine and cars. His previous career saw him restoring and distributing classic automobiles and the O2Y cellar sees the barrels and vats standing alongside vintage cars. Finding vines in Jura is a challenge due to both the popularity of the region and the changing climate, and it’s unsurprising that O2Y began by using négoce grapes, meticulously sourced from biodynamic vineyards across Alsace, Savoie, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Jura and Languedoc-Roussillon. This year, the O2Y has finally acquired its own small selection of vines: 1.3 ha of Pinot Noir in Arbois, 0.10 ha of Poulsard-Trousseau-Savagnin in Poligny, and 0.30 ha of Savagnin sur Poligny planted in ’22.
Vinum Bibo ’21 is the result of a two week, semi-carbonic maceration of Gamay with 30% of the grapes destemmed and placed in the tank in layers, alternating with whole bunches. The grapes were harvested from a friend’s old vineyard in Saint-Germain-des-Nouelles (south Beaujolais), cultivated by horse and rich with granite. This wine is a great expression of the freshness of Gamay, light and easy to drink as an aperitif or with a cosy dinner of roasted beets as autumn sets in. Enjoy at 11-13°.