wines

photography not drinking poison  la cabane

Jean-Yves Péron didn’t grow up planning to make wine. He studied biochemistry first, then switched to winemaking in Bordeaux. At university, a bottle of Dard & Ribo’s natural Saint-Joseph made without sulphur caught his attention. It was the first time he thought, I’d like to make wine like that. He later worked with Thierry Allemand in Cornas and Bruno Schueller in Alsace, learning the work from vineyard to cellar. lemonde.fr

In 2004, he returned to Savoie and took on steep, schist-covered vineyards above Albertville. Mondeuse was already disappearing from the area: about 80 hectares remained, including Péron’s 2.5 hectares. The vines averaged around 70 years old; the oldest dated to 1893. The slopes were too steep for machinery, but Péron wanted to keep working with these old vines and the local grapes. lemonde.fr

That hands-on, parcel-by-parcel approach still shapes his wines. He experiments with whole bunches and skin contact, and lets fermentations take their course. He likes wines that change as you drink them, showing the grape, the place, the vintage and the person who made them.