Jean Francois Ganevat

Picture this: the lush, undulating landscape of the Jura, nestled between Burgundy and Switzerland, painting a scene straight out of a dream. Here, in this cool-climate haven, vineyards cling to slopes of varying altitudes and angles. Forty grape varieties call this place home, each with its own shocking style that leaves newcomers spellbound. And at the heart of it all, in the quaint village of La Combe de Rotalier (just a skip south of Lons-le-Saunier), Jean-Francois Ganevat - affectionately known as Fanfan - crafts wines with the enchanting magic of an alchemist. His domain stretches across the hamlet, filling charming country cottages with barrels upon barrels of his diverse yet tradition-rich creations.

Descended from a lineage of winemakers dating back to 1650, Jean-Francois’ family once tended vineyards alongside a dairy that churned out milk for the famed local cheese, Comte, until 1976. After honing his skills under his father’s tutelage and at the esteemed Domaine Jean-Marc Morey in Chassagne-Montrachet, Jean-Francois returned to the Jura in 1998 to take the reins of the family domaine. Today, he’s joined by his sister, Anne. With just eight and a half hectares under vine, the family cultivates seventeen different local grape varieties, both red and white—a staggering array for such a modest-sized estate. It’s no surprise that for Jean-Francois, a passionate perfectionist with an eye for detail, transitioning the domaine to biodynamic certification was simply a matter of course.

Jean-Francois crafts an astounding array of cuvees from both estate-grown and purchased grapes, producing between thirty-five and forty unique wines annually! His approach transcends the norm, with each cuvee receiving its own meticulously tailored elevage. Embracing the Burgundian tradition, he employs ouillage to keep his barrels topped up. Jean-Francois Ganevat is a maestro of his craft, a true sorcerer of the eclectic. To say that his grapes are spun into gold wouldn’t be an exaggeration; his wines are truly out of this world.