Julien + Heidi Courtois "Originel"

Grapes: Menu-Pineau

Region: VDF

Vintage: 2022

Viticulture: Biodynamic

Soils: Red clay + silica + silex

Vinification: The grapes are hand-harvested and direct press, fermented in barrels

Aging: Aged for 18 months in barrel, no batonnage

Fining or Filtering: None

Sulfur: None added

Notes from the Importer: 

Winemaking runs in Julien Courtois’ veins; he is the eldest son of one of France’s earliest and most revered biodynamic winemaking pioneers, Claude Courtois, whom we also proudly import into the U.S. “I was born into the world of wine and started working in the vineyards at a very young age,” says Julien, who grew up in the mid-Loire Valley’s Soings‑en‑Sologne. “I gained experience as I grew up,” he adds, noting that he worked at his father’s mythical winery full-time starting at age 18. 

Julien later took off for a stint in Burgundy before eventually founding his estate, Le Clos de la Bruyère, at age 21 in 1998, just down the road from his father and brother Etienne’s domaine, Les Cailloux du Paradis—the Pebbles of Paradise, a name gleaned from the rocky, inhospitable soil that they’ve worked their magic on, planting the vineyards with field blends of ancient indigenous varieties. While Julien’s wines give a nod to those of his family, they are also remarkably distinct.  

In 2004, Julien met his now-wife, Heidi Kuka. A New Zealand native, she first came to France in 1998. After years of  working in a wine retail shop back home during university, she brought her wine background to a restaurant in Normandy, where she sold the wines of Claude Courtois. It was kismet, in some sense. “Julien’s dad was the first wine maker I met when I came to France,” she says.

Today, Julien and Heidi cultivate approximately 4.5 hectares of old vines including Menu-Pineau (also known as Orbois), Romorantin, Chenin Blanc, Gamay, Côt, Gascon, and Chaudenay, and Genouillet—many ungrafted and planted in the late 1970s. The couple emphasizes minimal‑intervention, chemical‑free viticulture and vinification, working by hand and allowing long cellar aging without filtration or fining. Only a small amount of SO2 is added to the reds at bottling, as needed. “My goal is to produce the best grapes possible to try to get the best result once bottled,” says Julien, adding, “There is nothing scientific about wine; each year is unique and therefore different, and the work done must be adapted to what the vine needs.”

Their wines reflect a deep commitment to terroir and tradition—from the amber‑toned Originel (Menu-Pineau) to their expressive reds like Eléments (Gamay de Chaudenay) or Ancestral (a blend of Gamay, Côt, and Gascon). Each cuvée is crafted with precision, yielding authentic wines marked by minerality, layered complexity, and a sense of place.

Heidi keeps the whole operation running, and leaves her striking mark on each and every bottle: she designs all the bold black-and-white artwork for the labels, inspired by her Māori heritage and beautifully drawn in India ink. The labels are inspired by folklore, nature, and Ta Moko, a form of Māori tattoo art. She convinced Julien to change the labels soon after they met, and her art has functioned as a visual calling card ever since. 

Together, Julien and Heidi have spent decades producing wines that are deeply evocative of the land they came from—land which Julien has spent his whole life learning, nurturing, and tending to with curiosity and compassion. These wines are very small production—typically under 10,000 bottles per year—so we consider ourselves extraordinarily lucky to be able to bring a taste of them stateside.