Jean-François Ganevat!
10/25/15 -
(Jean-Francois Ganevat (Photo: Bert Celce, 2010))
Perhaps there are no CSW customers unfamiliar with Domaine Jean-François Ganevat, but just in case, we offer a brief description. Located in the hamlet of La Combe, Rotalier, southwest of Lons-le-Saunier, the estate dates back to 1650, with vines and Montbeliarde cows which produced milk for Comté cheese. Jean-François' father concentrated on wine beginning in 1976 and wisely resisted the AOC regulations calling for the removal of ancient varieties, thus retaining 17 "illegal" grapes such as Petit Beclan, Gueuche, Seyve-Villard and Argant. After working with his father from 1982 to 1989, Jean-François got his wine diploma at Beaune and spent 9 years at Domaine Jean-Marc Morey, returning to the family estate in the late 90s. He quickly turned the estate towards organic and biodynamic farming and began using the lessons of Burgundy, combined with the traditions of the Jura, to produce wines of great elegance, mostly "ouille," which captured the attention of wine-lovers everywhere. The estate currently has about 9 hectares of vines, farmed biodynamically, with a staff of 8 giving meticulous attention to the vines. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed carefully (Sometines by hand with scissors!) and placed in tronconic vats for fermentations and transferred to old oak casks of various sizes for aging. The sous-voile wines are now aged in large barrels which he feels give a more elegant style of oxidative wine. No sulfur-doxide is used for the reds, about 10 mg per liter are added to most whites before bottling. A fascinating example of the estates combination of innovation and tradition is the planting of a small parcel of old varieties "en foule" for use in the cuvee "J'en veux" - that is at 30,000 to 40,000 vines per hectare - the density of most vineyards through the late 1800s before horse-drawn plows and the need to graft onto American root-stocks spaced the vines into rows of lower density and raised yields. Of particular interest in today's offer is the Arbois Chardonnay "Dolium'" fermented with skin-contact and aged in large Italian amphoras for 30 months without added SO2. (Wines will be ready for pick-up or shipping on Wednesday 10/28.) Our thanks to importer VOS Selections, Sophie Barrett, formerly of CSW, and Bert Celce of Wineterroirs for much of the information in this article.
We are happy to offer an Introduction to Jean-François Ganevat dinner at Racines NY on Tuesday November 3rd which will provide the opportunity to taste a wide range of M. Ganevat's wines while enjoying the superb cuisine of Chef Frédéric Duca. We'll taste the four wines offered today as well as: 2010 Chardonnay Grusse en Billats; 2010 Chardonnay Les Grands Teppes VV; 2011 J'en veux; 2011 Chardonnay Marguerite; 2010 Savagnin Chalasse Marne Bleu (Ouillé); and the 2003 Vin Jaune. $180 inclusive of dinner, wine, tax and gratuity.
