tell me about Ganevat

WINE TALK
1

TIA.

2

I poured one for you…

3

This is just an off-the-cuff commentary, I am not an expert.

I love Jura wines, especially savagnin/vin jaune. Ganevat makes tons of cuvees, something like 30-40/year, not all available in all venues, obviously. In general, I think his whites are truly excellent, certainly worth the cost purely on a quality basis. That said, they tend towards the Burgundian rather than oxidative side of Jura whites, especially the chardonnays. This is OK with me because even though what i most like about Jura are the oxidative whites, the savagnins are still great, and the chards are so delicious I drink them often as a Burgundy alternative.

The reds are IMO less accomplished, certainly not bad but neither among the best representatives of Jura red, nor anywhere near as impressive as his whites. Apparently he does not find that he has enough grapes to satisfy demand, so he has begun importing Cru Beaujolais gamay and blending them with his own Jura grapes (so there are another few cuvees…). The couple of such wines I have tried have been quite tasty, if a bit idiosyncratic, but again rather expensive.

In any case, certainly Ganevat is a very interesting, accomplished, and worthwhile house, especially for whites.

4

I studied Ganevat earlier this year.

Some high points:

  • Nicknamed “Fanfan”
  • Family also had dairy until 1976, milk going to Comté production
  • Studied with father and Jean-Marc Morey
  • Took over Domaine in 1998
  • In village of La Combe, south of Lons-le-Saunier and near Labet
  • Estate has 8.5 ha – 17 grape varieties
  • Certified biodynamic
  • Makes 35-40 cuvées per year
  • Hand de-stemming for reds
  • Whites are whole-cluster fermented; no racking
  • Minimal sulphur – only at bottling, for whites
  • Ages whites 2-11 years
  • Does practice ouillage
  • Makes oxidative and non-oxidative whites
  • Vin de France – blend of estate fruit plus fruit from other (organic) vineyards
  • Also a Vin de France J’en Veux, with a number of native Jura varieties, including: l’Enfariné, Corbeau, Gueuche, Portugais Bleu, Gouais, Beclan, Petit Beclan, Argant, Seyve-Villard – all of whch come from vines franc de pied
  • Macvin du Jura with Savagnin
  • SUL Q – a SGN-type wine from Savagnin, 250g RS

Any thoughts on franc de pied?

5

Hi Alan,

I’ve been very impressed with Ganevat’s chardonnays and savignins. They are certainly more expensive than most Jura whites but in my opinion, they are well worth it. Really nice balance of richness and acidity. I haven’t had any of his reds.

Cheers,

Hal

6

had I already passed out?

7

Vignes de Mon Pere, his topped-off savagnin feom old vines, 8is one of the top white wines I’ve ever had

8

MIA?

Huh? Please speak English.

9

thanks in advance.

10

I agree. Opened a 2000 VdMP in early 2014 and it was seriously good.

  • 2000 Jean-François Ganevat Côtes du Jura Les Vignes de Mon Père - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (4/12/2014)
    Hanging Out w/ Burgundy & Jura (Weygandt Wines & Ripple): One of the best Jura blancs I’ve come across to date. Isaac described the salinity well, and what got me was the combination of the cool saline profile with some wonderfully mellow and deep floral notes. Touches of nuts, beeswax, and lemon were there too. The palate was an absolute freak show. Wonderfully smokey, nutty, and zippy citrus elements were woven together very nicely, but it had this 2nd layer of something akin to orange marmalade that was completely exotic, unexpected, and dazzling. What a wine! (96 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

11

Yes but what are his passions?

12

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

13

Good thing it wasn’t what happened.

14

I have a ton of Ganevat. His Savagnins tend to better than his chards. His normal reds (trousseau, Ploussard) like the Plein Sud, Sainte Cecycle, L’Efant Terrible are really quite nice if you like Jura reds. I’ve never had his pinot. He makes a tons of red cuvees that are field blends, or gamey/trousseau blends with funky names and amusing labels (if you can get them from france, several labels were not allowed in the US). They typically fun, easy drinking wines between 20-35 dollars, but you must like the stank.

As for the whites, he he makes both oxidative and non oxidative wines (Ouille). The chard and savagnins are not cheap, especially the one that just got 100 parker points (sigh). He make other easier drinking whites that are blends. I really like the Rien que du fruit as a cheaper, fun fruity white. I have not had the macvin, vin jaune, or sweeter dessert wine SUL Q.

A listing of some of the cuvees Jean-François Ganevat | Our Wines | Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant

15

As someone said before, they lean more towards Burgundy than Jura…Riper than what you normally see out of the Jura…
His whites are good but very clean compared to other Juras IMO…his reds can be a bit funky but maybe riper than what you want if you’re looking for a Jura red…

His multi regional blends are interesting…if you want a bit of funk, freshness and interesting texture, I think they’re quite good for the price (they tend to be relatively cheap).

I quite like the wines but I’d consider them more of a Gateway Jura…

16

Alan don’t you have enough wine already.

17

stop colluding with my wife! Heck, I almost bit on your Mugneret-Gibourg!

18

You guys are killing me by adding yet another tastey white to my search. Will give one a try. I like that beeswax, resin, sea, acid thing with some zing to it.

19

I would tend to disagree with two points above; the chards are good and the wines are not “ripe”. I might be misinterpreting the original intent of both statements in which case consider my post a elaboration of their points.

Ganevat’s chardonnays are classic profiles of the grape; tons of citrus and green apple layered on top of a chalky mineral foundation. His Savagnins are also extremely classic examples of the variety. I would put either next to the very best of each category and expect them to turn heads.

Regarding ripeness, his wines are broad, full bodied but they bring as much fresh, acidic snap to the party as they do muscle. I suspect there is a bit of RS (and ageing on lees?) which is responsible. Admittedly his wines are a rollercoaster of polyphenols which might understandably incline one to call them “ripe” but they are as linear and pointed as any other wine from the region. I would associate this more with old vines / small yields.

In red, l’Enfant Terrible is a terribly good Poulsard. It has a captivating nose, is austere and lithe in its youth and becomes more elegant without sacrificing its sublime fruit as it evolves. Personally I like his (and Jura’s in general) PN less. I find them a bit clumsy and prefer to invest the same amount of money in a good villages / 1er from a bit further west.

20

the cuvee marguerite, made from melon à queue rouge planted in 1902 with an average yield of 7 hl/ha can easily hold its own against grand cru white burgundy. only bottled in magnum as well. i would say the sweet spot for ganevat is his ouille whites. in the past he was not a fan of traditional sous voile wines and only recently has he begun to expand the range in this area. for the reds, i agree that the pinot is the weakest of the bunch. i would not really compare the cheap vin de soif bottlings to the estate wines as they are not really meant to be serious. while they are good, i am not sure they give you an idea of what ganevat is really about.