The Late Bloomer
At the age of 50, Yves Roy-Salomon — a Jura native who had spent decades away from his homeland — returned to Poligny, bought 5 hectares of vines, retrained in oenology at Montmorot, and apprenticed with Valentin Morel at Les Pieds sur Terre. In 2019, alongside his partner Christelle, he established Domaine Nøvice. The name is a wink: a novice at 50, starting fresh in a region he had known since childhood but never farmed. Today, from ancient 120-year-old vines of Poussard and Savagnin, he makes wines of startling depth and purity — zero sulfur, zero filtration, zero oenological products. "The direct expression of the grape varieties, the terroirs, and faithfully the climate that the vintage has given us."
Homecoming at Fifty
Yves Roy-Salomon is a Jura native, born and raised in the region, but he spent much of his adult life elsewhere. It was not until 2014, at the age of 50, that he made the decision to return to his hometown of Poligny and buy 5 hectares of vines. The move was not impulsive; it was the culmination of a long-held desire to reconnect with the land of his childhood and to prove that it is never too late to begin again [^191^].
To prepare for his new vocation, Yves retrained in oenology at Montmorot — a rigorous programme that gave him the technical foundation for natural winemaking. But theory was not enough. He sought out the best practitioners in the Jura and apprenticed with Valentin Morel at Les Pieds sur Terre, one of the region's most admired natural wine estates. There, alongside other "Jura guns," he crafted his trade — learning vineyard work, cellar management, and the philosophy of zero-input winemaking from masters of the craft [^191^].
In 2019, Yves and his partner Christelle officially established Domaine Nøvice. The name is deliberately self-deprecating — a novice at 50, a beginner with old vines — but it also captures the humility and openness that define their approach. They are not bound by tradition or family expectation. They are free to experiment, to learn, and to let the vineyard guide them. And the vineyard, in turn, has rewarded them with some of the most ancient vines in the Jura: 120-year-old Poussard and Savagnin that express the terroir with a depth that only extreme age can provide [^191^][^186^].
"They are the direct expression of the grape varieties, the terroirs and faithfully reflect the climate that the vintage has given us."
— Yves & Christelle Roy
Ancient Vines, Autonomous Balance
The Domaine Nøvice vineyards span 5 hectares in and around Poligny, in the heart of the Jura's wine country. The soils are a mix of clay-limestone marls and Jurassic limestone — the classic Jura terroir that imparts minerality, freshness, and a distinctive saline character to the wines. But what makes these vineyards extraordinary is not just the soil; it is the age of the vines [^191^][^184^].
Some of the Poussard and Savagnin vines are 120 years old — rooted in the earth before the First World War, before the Second, before the Jura became fashionable. These ancient vines produce tiny yields of intensely concentrated fruit, with root systems that plunge deep into the subsoil, extracting minerals and complexity that young vines cannot match. Yves and Christelle farm them with obsessive care, working mechanically without synthetic products, hand-harvesting every cluster, and respecting the autonomous balance that decades of organic farming have established [^191^][^186^].
The couple's objective is agronomic: to obtain an autonomous balance of the plots that allows each terroir to express its particularity. This means cover crops, compost, natural pest control, and a refusal to intervene with chemicals or fertilisers. The vines are allowed to find their own equilibrium — a philosophy that requires patience and trust, but that yields wines of unmistakable authenticity. By 2025, juices from young vines of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Trousseau — planted by the couple themselves — will begin to appear, adding new voices to the estate's chorus [^191^][^186^].
Poligny, Jura. Clay-limestone marls and Jurassic limestone. Classic Jura soils — mineral, fresh, saline. 5 hectares of scattered parcels. Cool continental climate with Alpine influence. Ancient vines rooted deep in subsoil.
Organic and biodynamic. Mechanical work, no synthetic products. Hand-harvesting. Cover crops and compost. Natural pest control. Autonomous balance as goal — vines find their own equilibrium. No fertilisers, no chemicals.
Poussard and Savagnin from 120-year-old vines — the estate's heart. Young vines: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Trousseau — planted by Yves and Christelle, first juices expected 2025. Each variety chosen for its expression of Jura terroir.
"The direct expression of the grape varieties, the terroirs and faithfully the climate that the vintage has given us." Zero input. No sulfur, no filtration, natural yeasts. We don't touch anything. Patience over manipulation.
Zero Input, Maximum Terroir
Domaine Nøvice's cellar philosophy is radical in its simplicity: zero oenological products, zero sulfur, zero filtration, natural yeasts only. "In short, we don't touch anything," as the Roys put it. Fermentation is driven entirely by indigenous yeasts — the wild populations that exist on the grapes and in the cellar environment. No commercial inoculations, no enzymes, no corrections. The wines are what the vintage gives, nothing more, nothing less [^191^][^184^].
The élevage is equally restrained. After fermentation, the wines age for one year in tanks, then in barrels — a slow, quiet maturation that allows the terroir to develop without oak dominating the conversation. The barrels are old, neutral, and carefully selected to add texture rather than flavour. When the wines are ready, they are bottled with no filtration and no sulfur, then given a little rest in bottle before release. The result is wines that are alive, evolving, and deeply expressive of their specific place and moment [^191^].
This approach demands exceptional fruit — which is why the 120-year-old vines are so crucial. Only grapes of extraordinary concentration and balance can produce compelling wine without the safety net of sulfur, filtration, or oenological adjustments. Yves and Christelle have bet everything on their vineyards, trusting that ancient vines, organic farming, and Jura terroir will provide everything the wines need. So far, the bet is paying off: their wines are described as "simply magnificent and deeply Jurassic" — bombs of fruit and complexity for such a young domaine [^191^][^190^].
The O2Y Négociant Project
Beyond their estate wines, Yves and Christelle collaborate with Olivier and Yohsi — a young Japanese winemaker — on a négociant label called O2Y. The project sources grapes from different regions of France and produces "absolute bangers" that extend the Nøvice philosophy beyond the Jura. It is a creative outlet, a way to explore other terroirs, and a testament to the couple's openness and collaborative spirit. The O2Y wines share the same zero-input approach: natural yeast, no sulfur, no filtration — just pure, unadulterated expression of grape and place.
Deeply Jurassic
Domaine Nøvice may be young — founded in 2019, with only a handful of vintages under its belt — but its wines already carry the gravitas of a much older estate. This is the gift of ancient vines: they compress decades of terroir expression into each bottle, giving the Roys' wines a depth and complexity that belies the domaine's youth. Critics have been quick to recognise this, describing the portfolio as "simply magnificent and deeply Jurassic" — a phrase that captures both the geological specificity and the emotional resonance of these wines [^191^][^190^].
The Jura is a region of contrasts — oxidative and reductive, traditional and avant-garde, Burgundian and utterly its own. Domaine Nøvice sits at the intersection of these tensions. Yves trained with Valentin Morel, one of the Jura's most progressive natural winemakers, but his vines are among the oldest in the region — a bridge between the Jura's distant past and its dynamic present. The wines are neither strictly traditional nor fashionably experimental; they are simply honest, which may be the rarest quality of all [^191^].
For Yves, the late start is not a handicap but a liberation. Unburdened by family tradition or commercial pressure, he is free to make wines exactly as he believes they should be made. Christelle shares this vision, and together they have created something that feels both timeless and utterly contemporary. Theirs is a story of second acts — proof that the best wines sometimes come from those who wait longest to begin [^191^].
"Simply magnificent and deeply Jurassic. Bombs of fruit and complexity for such a young domaine."
— GM Wine Imports
The Nøvice Range
All estate wines are made from organically and biodynamically farmed fruit from 120-year-old vines, hand-harvested, fermented with indigenous yeast, and bottled with zero sulfur and zero filtration. No oenological products at any stage. The range focuses on Poussard and Savagnin — the Jura's most emblematic varieties — with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Trousseau from young vines joining the portfolio from 2025. The O2Y négociant project extends the philosophy to other French regions [^191^][^186^].