Jean-François Ganevat

The green, rolling landscape of the Jura is a sight to behold, and the perfect picture of how a mountainous region nestled in between Burgundy and Switzerland should appear in the mind’s eye. In this cooler climate, vineyards are planted on slopes at varying altitudes and gradients. This region is home to forty different grape varietals with styles so different that they tend to shock the uninitiated. And at the heart of it all, in the charming hamlet of La Combe (just south of Lons-le-Saulnier), Jean-François Ganevat is making wine with the inspired magic of an alchemist. Known as “Fanfan” to his friends, Jean-François’ wines have occupied the better part of the hamlet, filling picturesque country cottages with barrels and barrels of his diverse yet traditional wines. He comes from a long line of winegrowers, dating as far back as 1650, although the family supplemented their grape growing with a dairy that produced milk destined for the local cheese, Comté, until 1976. After working both for his father and for the prestigious Domaine Jean-Marc Morey in Chassagne-Montrachet, Jean-François returned to the Jura in 1998 to take over the family domaine. With only eight-and-a-half hectares under vine, the family had seventeen different local varietals planted of both red and white grapes—an incredible amount of variation to consider for holdings of such small size. For such a fervent perfectionist and insatiable lover of details as Jean-François, the decision to have the domaine certified as biodynamic was a natural choice.

Jean-François creates a stunning number of cuvées, ranging between thirty-five and forty every year! His methodology goes far beyond the details of the average vigneron. For some, his process would be maddening, as each cuvée calls for a highly individualized élévage. Jean-François is committed to minute doses of sulfur, so low in fact, that many fear it hurting the wines during transport. He curbs this issue entirely by aging many of his whites on the lees for extended periods of time, anywhere from two to eleven years! In all of his years making wine, he has never had a problem. In the Jura, many of the wines go through a traditional, intentional oxidation; however Jean-François aims to lend a greater lightness and elegance to wines of this style than are typical. He gravitates toward the Burgundian style, using ouillage to top off barrels. Jean-François Ganevat is a master of his craft, one of the true magicians of the eclectic. To say that his grapes are spun into gold would not be far from the truth; they are entirely otherworldly.

Technical Information

Wine	Blend	Vine Age	Soil Type	Vineyard Area*
Côtes du Jura “Cuvée de Garde”	50% Chardonnay, 50% Savagnin	50 Years Average	Marl	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Julien en Billat”	Pinot Noir	Planted in 1977, 1990	Clay and Limestone	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Les Terrasses de Chalandigna”	Savagnin	Planted in 1977	Clay, Marl	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “La Cuvée du Pépe”	Chardonnay	70 years	Marl	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Les Grands Teppes Vieilles Vignes”	Chardonnay	Planted in 1920	White marl	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Les Chalasses Vieilles Vignes”	Chardonnay	Planted in 1902	Gray Marl	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Grusses en Billat”	Chardonnay	Planted in 1960	Schist and marl	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Cuvée Florine”	Chardonnay	Planted in 1996	Limestone	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Cuvée Marguerite”	Chardonnay	Planted in 1902	N/A	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Chamois du Paradis”	Chardonnay	Planted in 1949	Red-marl, Gravel/Limestone	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Cuvée Oregane”	50% Chardonnay, 50% Savagnin	Planted in 1973 and 1977	Blue Marl, White Marl	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Les Vignes de Mon Père”	Savagnin	Planted in 1930	Schist and marl	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura Vin Jaune	Savagnin	Planted in 1948	Blue Marl	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Marnes Bleues”	Savagnin	Planted in 1933	Blue Marl	7 ha
Côtes du Jura “Cuvée de l’Enfant Terrible”	Poulsard	Planted in 1959	White and gray marls	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Plein Sud”	Trousseau	Planted in 2000	Gray marl, pebbles	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Cuvée Julien”	Pinot Noir	Planted in 1977	Clay and Limestone	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “En Billat”	Pinot Noir	Planted in 1990	Schist and marl	7 ha total
Vin de France “J’en Veux”	See Info Below	Planted in 1900	N/A	7 ha total
Vin de France “SUL Q”	Savagnin	N/A	N/A	7 ha total
Macvin du Jura	Savagnin	N/A	N/A	7 ha total
Côtes du Jura “Cuvée Prestige”	Savagnin	Planted in 1977	Clay, Marl	7 ha total
Vin de France Rouge “J’en Veux Encore”**	70% Gamay, 30% Trousseau	Planted in 1900	N/A	N/A
Vin de France Rouge “Le Jaja du Ben”**	50% to 60% Gamay from Beaujolais, 40% to 50% Indigenous Jura Varieties	80 years average	Granite, marl	N/A
Vin de France Rouge “Madelon”**	50% to 60% Gamay from Morgon 40% to 50% Indigenous Jura Varieties	60-80 years	Granite, marl, limestone	N/A
Vin de France Rouge “De Toute Beauté”**	50% Gamay from Fleurie, Syrah from Côte Rôtie, Mondeuse from Savoie, Pinot Noir d'Alsace	60-80 years	Granite, marl, limestone	N/A
Vin de Table Blanc “L’ailleurs”**	Pinot Auxerrois, l'Enfariné, Savagnin Vert	N/A	Granite, marl, limestone	N/A
Crémant du Jura**	Chardonnay	N/A	Clay, limestone	N/A
Côtes du Jura Blanc “Le Montceau”**	Chardonnay	N/A	Marl	N/A
Côtes du Jura Blanc “Cuvée de Garde”**	50% Chardonnay, 50% Savagnin	N/A	Marl	N/A
Vin de France Rouge ”P‘tiot Roukin”**	Pinot Noir, Poulsard, and Trousseau	70 years	Marl, Limestone	N/A
Vin de France Rouge “Y’a bon the Canon”**	50% Gamay and 50% old indigenous varieties from the Jura	40 years	Marl, Decomposed granite	N/A
Vin de France Rouge “Seau-trou Les Corvées”**	Trousseau	Gray marl, Limestone	Gray marl, Limestone	N/A
Vin de France Blanc “L'Apéro”**	70% Muscat and 30% Chardonnay	40 years	Marl, Clay, Schist	N/A
Arbois Vin Jaune**	Savagnin	Gray marl, Limestone	50-70 years	N/A
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

**Denotes wine from Anne & Jean-François Ganevat
After consecutive vintages of losing large portions of his harvest, Jean-François was forced to innovate to make more wine. In partnership with his sister Anne, he went to friends in Alsace, Beaujolais, and Savoie to source more fruit. Anne and Jean-François even went so far as to purchase vines in the Beaujolais. Each Vin de France cuvée is a blend of estate fruit from the Jura and purchased (or estate) fruit from another region, thus allowing Jean-François to apply his savoir-faire in winemaking with indigenous grape varieties from the Jura to create a new and unique line of wines. All of the vineyards contributing to this project are farmed organically.

• Biodynamic methodology (aeration of the soil, herbal infusions, natural composts, cover crops, planting in accordance with the lunar calendar) used to stimulate the natural immune system of the vine

Whites:

• Whole cluster fermentation à l’ancienne

• No racking of the must

• All whites go through malolactic fermentation

• No sulfur dioxide added during vinification, only a touch at bottling

• Aged in demi-muids of 300-L and 400-L, as well as 228-L barrels

• Bottled in the summer, two years after the harvest

Reds:

• Whole cluster fermentation

• Reds aged in Burgundian barrels for one year before bottling

Vin de France “J’en Veux”:

• Blend of 18 different red and white native varieties to the Jura : l'Enfariné, Corbeau, Gueuche, Portugais Bleu, Gouais, Beclan, Petit Beclan, Argant, Seyve-Villard

• “Grape by Grape” vinification : individual berries are cut off the cluster directly into barrel

• Vinification occurs within the skin

• No punchdowns, pumpovers, or pressing

• 900L total production

• All vines are franc de pied

Vin de France “SUL Q”:

• A “sélections des grains nobles” of Savagnin though SGN is not officially recognized in the Jura

• 250 grams RS

Macvin du Jura:

• Blend of 2/3 unfermented must of Savagnin from 2003 vintage and 1/3 Marc of Savagnin from 1992 vintage

• Aged in barrel for 8 years before bottling

Côtes du Jura “Cuvée Prestige”:
• Made in an oxidative style, wine remains sous voile for 48 months in demi-muid

Côtes du Jura “Les Terrases de Chalandina”:
• Made in an oxidative style, wine remains sous voile for 48 months in demi-muid

Côtes du Jura Chardonnay “La Cuvée du Pépe”:
• Aged 8 years sous voile in oak barrels

Vin de France Rouge “J’en Veux Encore”**:
• Aged 10 months in conical wood tank

Vin de France Rouge “Le Jaja du Ben”**:
• Aged 9 months in conical wood tank

Vin de France Rouge “Madelon”**:
• Aged 10 months in foudre

Vin de France Rouge “De Toute Beauté”**:
• Aged 10 months in foudre

Vin de Table Blanc “L’ailleurs”**:
• Short maceration, aged 12 months in foudre
• 2016 blend and soil type: 70% Riesling and 30% Savagnin; Marl, clay, schist
• 2016 blend and soil type: Pinot Auxerrois, l’Enfariné, Savagnin vert; Granite, marl, limestone

Crémant du Jura**:
• Aged 4 years sur lattes
• No dosage

Côtes du Jura Blanc “Le Montceau”**:
• Aged 12 months in demi-muid

Côtes du Jura Blanc “Cuvée de Garde”**:
• Aged in 228L oak barrels for 4 years

Vin de France Rouge “P’tiot Roukin”**:
• Semi-carbonic maceration for 10 months in conical wood tank

Vin de France Rouge “Y’a bon the Canon”**:
• Aged 10 months in conical wood tank

Vin de FranceRouge “Seau-trou Les Corvées”**:
• Southwest exposition
• Aged 12 months in foudre

Vin de France Blanc “L’Apéro”**:
• Short maceration, aged 12 months in foudre

General Information

Country: France

Region: Jura

Appellation(s): Côtes du Jura

Producer: Jean-François Ganevat

Founded: 1650

Annual Production: 1,700 cases

Farming: Biodynamic (practicing)

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