A Burgundian in the Jura

5/18/10 -

("Fan-fan" in front of his destemmer, Photo: Alice Feiring)

The wines of Jean-Francois Ganevat are rapidly becoming some of our favorites from the Jura. Jean-Francois is known to his friends as “Fan-fan.” Though he is Jurassian by origin, Ganevat learned wine-making in Burgundy, where he spent ten years at Domaine Morey in Chassagne-Montrachet (which Domaine Morey it’s difficult to established because so little information is available about the mysterious “Fan-fan.”) There’s a sophisticated, Burgundian streak that runs through these rich, earthy whites, a prettiness that distinguishes his wines from those of Puffeney and Montbourgeau. Ganevat’s estate comprises seven and a half hectares in Rotalier, a town that, the census informs us, had a population of 170 as of 2007. The estate is organic and has been in conversion to bio since 2006. Ganevat bottles under the somewhat catchall appellation, Cotes du Jura. As usual, it can be a bit tricky to anticipate what you’re going to get in terms of oxidation with these wines. Ganevat makes Savagnin sous voile, which spends years under the traditional veil of yeast that gives these wines their characteristic notes of controlled oxidation. He also makes both Savagnin and Chardonnay in a manner known as ouillé, or topped up. It is these wines that perhaps best show both Burgundian influence and the limestone and marl-y terroir of the region, which, some believe, is obscured by the practice of aging “under the veil.” But that’s a debate for another day… and luckily there’s no need to choose between the two styles, because each of these wines is extremely delicious, thought provoking, and a unique expression of the man and the terroir.