Jean-Yves Peron | Savoie wine

Jean-Yves Péron is a natural winemaker from Savoie, in the French Alps. He studied biochemistry first, then switched to wine and trained in oenology in Bordeaux at the end of the 1990s. He learned the craft with Thierry Allemand in Cornas and Bruno Schueller in Alsace, worked harvests in Oregon and New Zealand, and came home to start his own estate in 2004.

He lives in Chevaline, near Lake Annecy, but the vines are on the slopes of Conflans, the medieval old town above Albertville, and at Fréterive, further down the Isère valley. For years the cellar was in the basement of the family house, more than 30 km from the vines. In 2017 he moved into a new cellar close to the vineyards, partly dug into the rock.

The vineyard is a patchwork of small, steep terraces on mica schist, roughly 400 to 600 metres up. Everything is worked by hand, and harvest here is closer to climbing than picking. He farms around 4.5 hectares and buys in grapes from like-minded growers nearby, the equivalent of roughly another hectare and a half depending on the year. In the vineyard he uses horsetail and nettle preparations instead of synthetic sprays.

The Savoie wines are mostly Mondeuse for the reds, like La Cote Pelée and Les Champ Levat, and skin-macerated whites like La Grande Journée, 100% Altesse from his terraced schist plot. His cuvées and vintages change from year to year, so check the list below for what we have right now.

Who is Jean-Yves Péron?

A natural winemaker from Savoie in the French Alps. He trained in Bordeaux, worked with Thierry Allemand and Bruno Schueller, and started his own estate in 2004. He is best known for his long skin-macerated whites, his Mondeuse reds and his I Vicini wines from Piedmont grapes.

Where is Jean-Yves Péron based?

He lives in Chevaline, near Lake Annecy. His vines are on the steep slopes of Conflans above Albertville and at Fréterive in the Isère valley, and since 2017 his cellar has been close to the vineyards.

Does Jean-Yves Péron add sulphur to his wines?

No, never. In rare cases he filters macerated wines that were aged in large foudres, so he does not have to rack them repeatedly.

What is I Vicini?

I Vicini ("the neighbours") is Péron's Piedmont label, started in 2017. He buys Barbera, Grignolino, Dolcetto, Cortese, Moscato, Favorita and Nebbiolo from growers in Piedmont and makes the wines in Savoie, whole bunch and without sulphur.

Why are Jean-Yves Péron's Piedmont wines listed under France?

The grapes are Italian, but the wine is made in his cellar in Savoie, so the wine itself is French.

What grapes does Jean-Yves Péron use?

From Savoie: Mondeuse, Jacquère, Altesse, Roussanne (Bergeron), Muscat, Gringet, Gamay and Persan. From Piedmont: Barbera, Grignolino, Dolcetto, Cortese, Moscato, Favorita, Nebbiolo and some Freisa.

Are Jean-Yves Péron's white wines orange wines?

Mostly, yes. Almost all his whites are skin macerated, from a few weeks up to two years in extreme cases. La Grande Journée, from Altesse, is a good example.

How much wine does Jean-Yves Péron make?

Not much. He farms around 4.5 hectares and buys grapes equivalent to roughly 1.5 more, with I Vicini making up a quarter to a third of the total. Bottles sell out fast.