Jean-Francois Ganevat

Jean-François Ganevat and his sister Anne come from a family of winemakers with a long tradition. Fanfan, as his friends call him, together with his sister Anne, farm almost 10 hectares of vineyards in the village of Rotalier in the south of Jura. More specifically - Fanfan takes care of the wine, Anne takes care of the viticulture. They mainly grow Chardonnay, Savagnin, Pinot noir, Trousseau and Pulsard. Fanfán and Anne have been operating in a biodynamic regime since 2006. Some of the vineyards even date back to 1902 and 1919. Jean-François apprenticed and worked at Domaine Jean-Marc Morey in Chassagne-Montrachet in his youth. 

They currently produce around 1,700 bottles a year, aiming to highlight the terroir, grape variety and winemaking style. With less than 10 hectares of their own vineyards, they have very low wine yields. Combined with the huge demand for their wines, their shortage has arisen. Francois and Anne decided to solve this precarious situation with so-called "negos" grapes. Negos means that they buy grapes from their friends from Burgundy, Jura and Alsace, who respect their vision of natural wine. The grapes are "turned" into wine by Fanfán himself in Rotalier and he takes the same care of them as he does his own grapes.

A snapshot from our visit to Rotalier, from right: Jean-Francois Ganevat, his wife/winemaker Maylies Bernard, their dog Hex