Yves Roy

Yves Roy, born in 1970, is a Jura winemaker based in Poligny, where he runs the small Novice estate. After a career in industry and digital printing, he went back to school and earned his BTS in viticulture and oenology through a work-study program with Valentin Morel at Domaine Les Pieds sur Terre (needless to say, he learned from the best!), and released his first vintage in 2020. Novice is french for "newbie"?! Yves says he was never much of a wine connoisseur, but falling in love at first sight with the natural wines he discovered about fifteen years ago completely changed everything! In the vineyard—5 hectares, 2 leased and 3 that he planted himself—and in the cellar, the approach is clear: organic, biodynamic, mechanical cultivation, hand-harvesting, spontaneous fermentation, no additives or sulfites, no fining or filtration. His philosophy is to make wines “that you want to drink rather than talk about,” with a constant focus on drinkability. We’re all for it—and we love it!