Anne et Jean-Francois Ganevat
History
Domaine Ganevat in Rotalier, nestled in the southern Jura, has been at the heart of the Ganevat family’s winemaking tradition since the 17th century (around 1650). Jean-François and his sister Anne represent the 14th generation in a lineage deeply rooted in the land. Jean-François honed his craft over a decade as cellar master at Domaine Jean-Marc Morey in Chassagne-Montrachet, Burgundy, before returning home in 1998 to take the reins of the estate with Anne. That same year, they began converting the family’s vineyards to organic agriculture, a vision that blossomed into biodynamic farming by 2006.
Farming and Philosophy
Jean-François and Anne practice biodynamic viticulture, certified as organic (Ecocert) and Demeter biodynamic in the mid-2000s (certification roughly around 2005–2008). Vineyard practices are meticulous: hand-harvested grapes, massal selection, low yields, and some plots of vines over a century old. In the cellar, their philosophy is pure and expressive. Fermentations rely exclusively on indigenous yeasts, with no filtration, no fining, and wines are crafted without added sulfur—a signature of their natural, minimalist approach. A hallmark of Domaine Ganevat is the individualized elevage given to each cuvée: long aging on lees, use of older oak barrels, amphoras, or neutral vessels—never new oak—and a Burgundian-inspired approach such as ouillage for freshness. Jean-François has become known as the “alchemist of grape varieties”, protecting over 25 ancient, indigenous Jura grapes—such as Petit Béclan, Gros Béclan, Portugais Bleu, Enfariné, among others—to revive the region’s rich biodiversity.
