DOMAINE ALEXANDRE JOUVEAUX

Alexandre Jouveaux used to work in the world of fashion photography (for Chanel, no less) but, as is often the case, he decided to give up the limelight to pursue a second career as a vigneron in southern Burgundy. His wines would be entitled to one of the Macon appellations if Alexandre wanted it, but he says he hates bureaucracy so much that he is happy to label them as vin de table!

The quantities he produces are miniscule (6000 bottles in total), so no customer (domestic or export) can buy more than a few cartons of his wines. Alexandre arrived in Burgundy in the mid-1990s and bought his first plot of vines in 1999. Until he had enough vines to live on, he combined work at the Domaine with teaching at the local wine school.

Eventually, he devoted himself full-time to being a vigneron and put his philosophy of minimal intervention into practice. He follows a simple approach to the vinification of his wines, once his organic grapes have been harvested. The wines are not filtered. The trademark stamp of Alex's wines is their incredible freshness and acidity. For those who are tired of full, muscular and somewhat monochrome Macons, these are the right wines.

Anne-Claude Leflaive is a regular and an admirer of Alex's wines, but thanks to his minuscule quantities he has not yet carved out a major reputation within the natural wine scene. You never see him at any of the natural wine events, even though his wines appear on all the best natural wine lists in Paris. Until he gets a little more ground, this will probably not change!