Some of the Ganevat vines were planted before phylloxera reached France. The family has tended this corner of the southern Jura since 1650, and Jean-François farms parcels of Savagnin that exceed a century in age.
Backstory
Jean-François Ganevat represents the fourteenth generation of a vigneron family rooted in the Combe de Rotalier, in the Sud Revermont of the Jura. After more than eight years working under Jean-Marc Morey in Chassagne-Montrachet, he returned home in 1998 to take over the domaine alongside his sister Anne. He has since become one of the most sought-after names in French natural wine.
The Region
The estate lies on the steep slopes around Rotalier in the southern Jura. The vineyards sit on blue and gray marl mixed with limestone, at elevations between roughly 300 and 400 meters, soils that suit both the region's whites and its delicate reds.
Vineyards & Farming
Ganevat works around 13 hectares of Cotes du Jura. The domaine converted to organic farming in 1999 and earned Demeter biodynamic certification in 2006. More than half the vines are at least 50 years old, with some over 100. The estate is planted to more than 25 grape varieties, from Chardonnay, Savagnin, Poulsard, Trousseau, and Pinot Noir to a collection of rare indigenous types that Ganevat has worked to preserve. Yields are very low, and the vineyards are worked largely by hand.
Winemaking
Fermentations rely entirely on indigenous yeasts. Many cuvees are bottled with no additions at all, others with only a minimal dose of sulfur. Wines age two years or more in neutral oak, including 400-liter barrels and demi-muids. The traditional sous voile whites develop a veil of yeast, while the ouille wines are topped up to prevent oxidation. To buffer the Jura's volatile vintages, Ganevat and Anne also run a negoce range, Anne et Jean-Francois Ganevat, sourcing organic and biodynamic fruit from across France.
The Wines
The domaine produces more than 50 cuvees, often in tiny quantities. They span chiseled single-parcel Chardonnays, mineral Savagnin both topped-up and oxidative, vin jaune, ethereal Poulsard and Trousseau reds, and a wide cast of field blends and experiments.
