Jean-François Ganevat, Rare Two-Pack
Jura, France 2017 (750mL)
Regular price$85.00
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Jean-François Ganevat, Rare Two-Pack
The world is abuzz with natural wine and Ganevat is one of the select-few producers whose sacred name reverberates throughout any in-the-know establishment, be it a Michelin restaurant in London or a swinging wine bar in San Francisco. That’s simply because no one does it like Ganevat: excruciating manual labor, zero chemicals, zero additives, and an absurd number of distinct micro-cuvées. “Cult” doesn’t even begin to describe it.
When we revealed our first-ever Ganenvat offer last month, a tidal wave of offers roared through the office and swept away our allocation. Still, everyone—even those who had already purchased some—demanded more. That brings us to today’s absurdly rare offer, a two-pack that will cause eyeballs to bulge around the world. We had originally planned to slow play these wines and offer them separately, but we’re fast approaching the holidays and generosity is in the air. For the uninitiated, here’s why these all-natural cult gems are so fiercely scrapped over: 14th-generation Jean-François hyper-fanatically farms and controls the micro-production of 40+ cuvées, all of which are near impossible to obtain. The two made available today are (1) “Le Jaja du Ben,” a masterful combo of Jura Gamay and Rhône Grenache, and (2) “Le P'tiot Roukin,” a spellbinding blend of 80-year-old Gamay, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, and Trousseau from the Jura. Owning this rarefied two-pack means you’re one of very few in the world to have both of these bottles in each hand. Enjoy these rarities!
When we revealed our first-ever Ganenvat offer last month, a tidal wave of offers roared through the office and swept away our allocation. Still, everyone—even those who had already purchased some—demanded more. That brings us to today’s absurdly rare offer, a two-pack that will cause eyeballs to bulge around the world. We had originally planned to slow play these wines and offer them separately, but we’re fast approaching the holidays and generosity is in the air. For the uninitiated, here’s why these all-natural cult gems are so fiercely scrapped over: 14th-generation Jean-François hyper-fanatically farms and controls the micro-production of 40+ cuvées, all of which are near impossible to obtain. The two made available today are (1) “Le Jaja du Ben,” a masterful combo of Jura Gamay and Rhône Grenache, and (2) “Le P'tiot Roukin,” a spellbinding blend of 80-year-old Gamay, Pinot Noir, Poulsard, and Trousseau from the Jura. Owning this rarefied two-pack means you’re one of very few in the world to have both of these bottles in each hand. Enjoy these rarities!
Jean-François—colloquially known as “Fanfan”—started his humble career alongside his father in the 1980s. With nearly 400 years of continuous family history here, he was next in line to the winemaking throne, but even that couldn’t stop him from succumbing to the magnetic allure of neighboring Burgundy (only an hour’s drive). So, in 1989, he packed up and went to work for the legendary Domaine Jean-Marc Morey. For nine years, he resided in their cellar, learning the invaluable nuances of Burgundian winemaking, which then inspired him to return to Jura and continue his family’s time-honored tradition.
What he brought back wasn’t just Burgundian techniques (e.g. topping off the wines to avoid excess oxidation), but a fanatical devotion to biodynamic farming and the craftsmanship of individually unique, wholly expressive natural wines. And he crafts lots of them: In any given year, the number of cuvées can surpass 40—which is insane, by the way. With each distinct wine comes a distinct upbringing that is tweaked depending on the terroir, the blend, the age of vines, etc. Essentially, he factors in all influential aspects and accordingly devises a unique upbringing for each cuvée, as if it’s an independent entity. And somehow, despite the maze of cellars and various aging vessels—it’s a veritable mad scientist lab—every idiosyncratic natural wine produced here is an exquisite, utterly flawless masterpiece.
Today’s “Le Jaja du Ben” is a blend of 60% Gamay from Ganevat’s home region of Jura and 40% Grenache from an organically farmed parcel down in Southern Rhône, whereas the “Le P’tiot Roukin” (“the little redhead”) is a complex blend of Pinot Noir, Poulsard, Trousseau, and Gamay from gnarled, 80+-year-old Jura vines. Both naturally-fermented wines aged for approximately 10 months in conical wooden tanks and were bottled without fining, filtering, or any additions of sulfur.
I think Ganevat’s most impressive feat is the ability to consistently avoid every single natural winemaking fault: Throughout the decades, his wines have always remained a paragon of harmony, cleanliness, and purity. So, if it’s a profoundly delicious, mineral-stamped red you’re after, Ganevat is always a sure bet. “P’tiot Roukin” is a dazzling display of barely-ripe red fruit that causes intense salivation due to a skillful touch of mouth-puckering tartness. You’ll discover Bing cherry, wild strawberry, currants, rose water, and watermelon jolly rancher gliding across your palate with dashes of herbs and crushed river stones, whereas “Jaja du Ben” reads a bit darker and crunchier with black cherry, raspberry, red and black currants, smoke, underbrush, violets, and damp wool. Both are elegant, animated, and playful, but make no mistake: they are masterclass examples of refined, texturally perfect natural winemaking.
NOTE: These wines are full of unbridled energy and are begging to see some oxygen, so decant them and walk away—Roukin for 60+ minutes, Jaja for 120+. When serving, do so in your largest Burgundy stems around 55-60 degrees and revel in Ganevat’s supernatural ability to craft bonafide delicious natural wine. Cheers!
