The Badoz family have been making wine in Jura since 1659, passing down traditional winemaking techniques and local know-how from father to son for more than 10 generations! Domaine Badoz is situated in Poligny, in the heart of the Jura vineyards. This is a hilly area in eastern France, known for it's great gastronomy.

From the organic certified 'Grands Roussots' vineyard, where the distinct red soil gives this wine its name and unique complex character. The Trousseau variety is notoriously challenging to work with, but in the right hands produces wines that balances fresh aromatic fruit with fine tannic structure.

The Jura is a small, characterful wine region in eastern France, nestled between Burgundy and the Swiss border. Lying in the foothills of the Jura Mountains, the vineyards sit at elevations of 250–450 metres and experience a cool continental climate with cold winters and warm, often wet summers. Historically, its northerly latitude meant ripening could be a challenge, but in recent years climate change has brought increased warmth and more frequent droughts, creating new pressures such as water stress and the threat of spring frost due to earlier bud-break.

The region’s varied soils are dominated by marl and limestone, with pockets of clay, and these contribute to the distinctive mineral character of Jura wines. Five grape varieties are permitted: the reds Poulsard, Trousseau and Pinot Noir; and the whites Chardonnay and the local Savagnin.

The Jura is best known for its traditional oxidative styles, notably Vin Jaune, made from Savagnin and aged under a veil of yeast (voile) for a minimum of six years. These wines are powerful and nutty, with flavours of walnut, curry spice and dried fruit. However, increasingly producers are making fresher, non-oxidative styles of Chardonnay and Savagnin, with notes of apple, citrus and saline minerality. Light reds from Poulsard and Trousseau offer delicate red fruit, floral aromas and savoury spice, often with striking personality and freshness.

Trousseau (known as Bastardo in Portugal and Merenzao in Spain) is an ancient red variety most closely associated with France’s Jura, where it complements Poulsard and Pinot Noir. Compared with Poulsard, it gives deeper colour and more tannin, yet remains lithe and aromatic when sensitively grown.

Viticulturally, Trousseau buds early and ripens late, so it needs warm, well-exposed, well-drained sites—stony marl, limestone or gravel—to reach full flavour ripeness. It is prone to spring frost and can suffer coulure in poor flowering conditions. Thin, compact bunches demand vigilant canopy aeration to deter powdery mildew and botrytis, and its ability to accumulate sugar quickly means careful harvest timing is essential to avoid excess alcohol at the expense of freshness.

Beyond the Jura, Trousseau/Bastardo appears in Portugal (Douro, Dão and rare Madeira bottlings, including Port blends), in north-west Spain (Ribeira Sacra, Valdeorras and Monterrei as Merenzao), and in small, quality-focused plantings in Switzerland, California, Australia and the Canary Islands.

Styles range from pale, perfumed, gently chilled reds to more structured, ageworthy examples. Typical flavours include wild strawberry, raspberry and redcurrant through to black cherry and damson, with lifted violet, peppery spice, resinous herb and a faint savoury, gamey note. The palate is usually medium-bodied with fine, chalk-edged tannins and lively acidity; whole-bunch use can add aromatic lift and tension. Oak is generally subtle, if used at all. At its best, Trousseau delivers a poised, mineral, gastronomic red—fragrant, textural and quietly complex.