Alexandre Jouveaux

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Alexandre Jouveaux 2019 'La Vigne du Clou' Blanc, VdF (Macon)

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A former fashion photographer for Chanel, Alexandre Jouveaux left the glamour of Paris in 1995 for a slower, more grounded life in the Mâconnais. Trading the lens for the vine, he gradually acquired a few hectares of old-vine Chardonnay spread across remote, limestone-rich parcels in and around the village of Uchizy. From these modest holdings, he crafts some of the most riveting, soulful wines in Burgundy—bottles that have garnered a cult-like following among sommeliers, collectors, and fellow vignerons alike.

Jouveaux farms just 2.5 hectares and produces around 6,000 bottles annually. The vineyards are farmed organically, with a deep respect for biodiversity and ecological balance. His preference for isolated sites surrounded by forest helps maintain a vibrant, living ecosystem—one that is reflected in the purity and precision of his wines.

In the cellar, Jouveaux is a minimalist. Grapes are pressed directly into old foudres, where they ferment and age untouched, resting on their lees until he deems them ready. There is no fining, no filtration, and if sulfur is used at all, it is in vanishingly small quantities. Everything is bottled by gravity, directly from cask.

Jouveaux’s wines are unmistakably his: intensely mineral, tensile, and brimming with electricity. In their youth, they often show reduction and a piercing acidity that calls for time and air. With age, they evolve into crystalline expressions of Chardonnay, defined by citrus, crushed stone, and an enduring sense of place. Though he could easily label his wines under the Mâcon AOC, Jouveaux opts for “Vin de Table” in quiet defiance of bureaucratic constraints—further underscoring his independent spirit.

This is Burgundy at its most intimate and uncompromising: singular wines from a singular voice.