2008 Jean-François Ganevat Les Chalasses Marnes Bleues

2008 Jean-François Ganevat Les Chalasses Marnes Bleues

This bloke is killing me!…..I’m a big fan of his wines and  have had this one twice in the last month or so…..once at rocking Sydney wine bar ” The Wine Library” while punching down a quesadilla with truffle and stracchino and more recently at home when we had a couple of guests from Sydney staying.

Jean-François Ganevat is based in the tiny Jura hamlet of La Combe which sits above the village of Rotalier, which in turn lies just to the South of Lons-le-Saulnier….

He worked for his father on the estate from 1982 to 1989 before heading to Beaune to study winemaking. After gaining his qualifications he remained in Burgundy working for Domaine Jean-Marc Morey in Chassagne-Montrachet before returning home to the family estate in 1998.

The Ganevat holdings now sit at 8.5 ha , are farmed biodynamically and have recently gained a Demeter certification….Jean-François produces up to 40 different cuvees a year and is know to very meticulous in the vineyard and cellar. There is a fantastic article on Ganevat over at Wine Terroirs.

The Chalasses is the largest of the Ganevat vineyard holdings at 4 ha and the soil consists of blue marls which is regarded as the primo dirt for white wines in the Jura…..in particular Savagnin. There are many Jura Savagnin aged  sur voille ……in ullaged barrels under a veil of flor-like yeast…..this wine is produced in a method called ouillé…..meaning the barrels are kept topped up during elevage.

So what to expect from the Ganevat whites?…..expect great intensity, palate presence and a salivating, crackling line of minerally acidity…there seems to a lot packed into the glass with superb density and tension….they are just beautiful to drink. They benefit greatly from decanting also….the whites seem to freshen up with some air time and become a little more detailed.

Straw yellow in hue with rich aromas of  peach,yellow plum, bruised apple, citrus and custard apple fruits with hints of grilled nuts, clotted cream, washed-rind cheese, almond paste, stone and soft spice with light wafts of brioche, nettle and just a hint of some sherry-like notes.

A lovely rich, detailed presence in the mouth with plenty of energy and baby fat across the palate….peach, apple and citrus fruits provide the canvas which is splashed with a byzantine array of spice and stone…..creamy, curdy notes drift in and out along with hints of grilled nuts, dried flowers, marzipan, washed-rind cheese and minerals with dashes of herbs and sherry just over there…..way in the background. The finish lingers beautifully with a rich trail and the minerally acidity zings through the wine like an electric current…..it rocks.

A wine of purity, richness and detail….. concupiscible in my eyes and a wine that I could drink anywhere, anytime.

Price: $70 – Closure: Cork – Alcohol: 12.5% – Source: Cellar – Importer: Andrew Guard Fine Wines

Hang on!...I'll pull a number out of my arse....I'm 95 on that!