DOMAINE JEAN-YVES PÉRON

JEAN-YVES PÉRON

Conflans, Savoie, France

Jean-Yves Peron works with local grape varieties in the Haute-Savoie region, nestled in the Alpine village of Conflans. This region still remains under the shadow of its neighbour region of Jura, terribly well-known for its long winemaking history. Peron aims to represent the Alps grapes in the largest sense of it, looking back at the old Savoie - that included both France and Italy - being the spokesman for this territory. He established his Domaine in 2004, working with 1.5 hectares, all tiny parcels of relatively old vines (30-120 yo) which he vinified separately. Jean-Yves is incredibly meticulous in the cellar, and this pays back with extraordinary wines, full of character and distinctive spices.

Fun facts: The constant rocky outline of the Alps makes this an exciting area for winemaking, with a few, very peculiar local grapes to be found: spicy Mondeuse for the reds, crispy Jacquère, fruity Chasselas, rich Altesse and Roussanne for the whites.

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BACKGROUND OF NATURAL WINE IN SAVOY

Savoy is a small, mountainous region located in the French Alps, near the borders of Switzerland and Italy. This cool climate region benefits from the moderating influence of Lake Geneva and the Rhône River, creating ideal conditions for grape growing. Local grapes varieties are Jacquère and Altesse for crispy but aromatic wines; and Mondeuse for structured, spicy reds.

Organic, Biodynamic and Natural wine. What’s the difference?

To understand this concept and its various ramifications, it is necessary to keep something clear in mind: before the 20th century and the spreading of affordable synthetic fertilisers, all farming was organic. When the shift to the use of synthetics and pesticides happened, it became necessary to diversify traditional organic farming from the new modern farming. 


ORGANIC WINE

Simply put, organic farming forbids the use of synthetic fertilisers, synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or genetically modified organisms. The basic requirements are generally specific and engage the farmers not to use any chemical fertilisers and other synthetic products in the vineyard. It does not prevent the vintner from using the conventional winemaking process after harvesting. 


BIODYNAMIC WINE

Let’s take organic farming one step further: Biodynamic. The creator of this agricultural system is the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, who developed the principles of biodynamics in a series of lectures given in 1924 in Germany. Here lies the foundation of true organic wines, with a strict limit in the use of additives, stringent requirements and at the end obtaining a biodynamic certification.


NATURAL WINE

The previous definitions are usually, and rightfully, associated with it, because most natural wine is also organic and/or biodynamic. But not vice versa!

Natural wine is wine in its purest form, simply described as nothing added, nothing taken away, just grapes fermented. No manipulation whatsoever, minimal intervention both in the vineyards and in the winery. Healthy grapes, natural yeast and natural fermentation, with no filtration nor fining. Sounds easy, right? However, making natural wine is unforgiving and it requires a bigger amount of work than conventional wine. To this day, natural wine has no certification yet.