Simply a Force of Nature
2007 Ganevat Chardonnay
Grusse en Billat & Grands Teppes
Only Bottles in the World
"I’m willing to bet that he is the most accomplished French vigneron of whom most of my readers have never heard"
-David Schildknecht
Jean-François Ganevat has finally reached the tipping point.
Rapidly, word is spreading that he's not only one of Jura's best, but one of the most fascinating and skilled winemakers working today.
I can't tell you how many somms, collectors, etc. have come up to me saying that a bottle of Ganevat was the best wine they've had in a long time.
It's nice to see that Ganevat is finally getting his due. We were one of the first supporters of Ganevat in the U.S. Back in the early days, availability of Ganevat was limited. Ganevat makes a lot of different wines - up to 40 different wines per vintage. We would see maybe four or five wines and sometimes skip a vintage because the previous vintage was still on the market.
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Ganevat's 2007 Chardonnays are one of the vintages that never made it to U.S.
Which is a shame. His 07s are vivid, razor cut -think of 2007 White Burgundy.
Parcels of older Ganevat are very rare - these are the only bottles available in the world.
We're happy to offer two bookends of Ganevat's 07 Chardonnay range, his explosively mineral Grusse en Billat and his epic Grands Teppes.
Put succinctly, Ganevat's wines can startle in terms of purity, concentration, detail and mineral expression.
At their best, they're awe-inspiring.
Ganevat is simply a force of nature; he is uncompromising. We’re over a decade into the third millennium, and Jean-François Ganevat is reputed to have no computer. He fulfills orders for his 40-50 different wines by fax machine. And he gets back to people when he wants.
This carries over to the vineyard and cellar. He staffs one full-time employee for every 2.5ha (a crazy number). He restricts the yields in his obsessively maintained biodynamic vineyards to the low twenties or even teens per hectare.
His unwavering dedication pays off both in the unique soil expression of his various parcels and in the outright quality.
The two wines on offer today clearly show the wisdom of his micro-cuvée philosophy. Grusse en Billat is sourced from schist and clay soils. The wine is all about deep minerality - smoky crushed rock backed up by ripe citrus flavors. If you think of Chablis, add a dose of richness and power plus Jura's tanginess, you get a pretty good sense.
Grands Teppes is from white marl and is a monumental wine from 90-year-old vines. Grands Teppes is a wine of depth and power. Grands Teppes leads with stone fruits and sweet herbs that are animated by moss-strewn notes, layered minerals and a marmalade of various citrus fruits.
Ganevat's work with Chardonnay is very, very compelling and without peer in the Jura. His 2007s have years ahead of them, but are in a really beautiful place. Ganevat has always been in short supply, but his cult status has made availability really ugly. Quantities are limited.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits