Côtes du Jura - Les Chalasses Blue Marls - Anne and Jean-Francois Ganevat 2011

The estate

Cult winemaker Jean-François Ganevat and his sister Anne craft the most Burgundian wines in the Jura!

Jean-François Ganevat is a renowned, low-intervention wine producer based in the village of Rotalier (more precisely, in the hamlet of La Combe de Rotalier), in the mountainous wine region of the Jura in eastern France. The estate has been family-owned since 1650. It is currently run by Jean-François Ganevat, who trained and worked at Domaine Jean-Marc Morey in Chassagne-Montrachet.

Ganevat produces 1,700 cases a year, comprising 35 to 40 different cuvées intended to showcase the terroir, grape variety or winemaking style. The 8.5-hectare estate is biodynamically certified and planted with 17 different local red and white grape varieties, including outlaws such as Petit Béclan, Gros Béclan, Gueuche, Seyve-Villard, Corbeau, Portugais Bleu, Enfariné, Argant and Poulsard Blanc.

The estate produces single-varietal AOP Côtes du Jura wines from fruit grown on site, but also sources grapes from Alsace, Savoie and Beaujolais to make Vin de France cuvées. Blended with grapes purchased from elsewhere and those grown at the estate, these cuvées allow the winemaker to use all the indigenous varieties and craft unique wines, albeit declassified.

Jean-François uses traditional, bespoke winemaking techniques. He destems by hand, uses no new oak, ages white wines on their lees for at least two years and, in 2006, completely eliminated the use of sulfur.

His unique and extensive portfolio of wines includes Vin Jaune, Macvin du Jura and Crémant du Jura.