The Farm of Nine Paths
Jeanne Gaston-Breton is one of Alsace's most captivating and quietly radical young winemakers — a vigneronne who has transformed her family's farm in the forgotten hills above Reichsfeld into a beacon of natural wine, biodiversity, and pastoral living. In 2017, she took over La Ferme des 9 Chemins (The Farm of Nine Paths), a property in the tiny hamlet of Taubental, perched about 400 metres above sea level in the shadow of the Vosges mountains. Surrounded by forest, far from the monoculture that blights Alsace's famous wine villages, the farm offers a world apart — a place where vines share the landscape with meadows, horses, and herds of goats. Jeanne immediately undertook the conversion of the farm's seven hectares of vines to organic farming and, later, biodynamics. She works alongside her mother in the vineyards, focusing on soil health and harnessing the incredible biodiversity of this forgotten pocket of Alsace. The old vines — Auxerrois, Sylvaner, Riesling, and Pinot Noir — are planted over three distinct terroirs: clay and limestone, sandstone of volcanic origin, and schist. While the majority of their grapes are sold to talented friends including Benoit Rosenberger and Yannick Meckert, Jeanne has gradually begun saving more from each harvest for herself. In her tiny cellar, she displays a great sensibility and real lightness of touch, working with the simplest of tools and nothing but gravity to produce delicate, nuanced, and achingly pure wines that carry a wonderful sense of place. She lives in a "tiny house" in the middle of her vines — a modest dwelling that embodies her philosophy of simplicity, connection to the land, and rejection of excess. Already, she has everything of a great vigneronne.
A Tiny House, A Big Vision
Jeanne Gaston-Breton's story is one of return and transformation. In 2017, she took over her family's farm — La Ferme des 9 Chemins — in the hamlet of Taubental, high in the hills above Reichsfeld. The farm had been in the family for generations, but Jeanne was the one who saw its potential not just as a vineyard, but as a living ecosystem. She moved into a "tiny house" in the middle of the vines, a modest dwelling that embodies her philosophy of simplicity and connection to the land [^201^][^206^].
From the very beginning, Jeanne's approach was radical. She immediately undertook the conversion of the farm's seven hectares of vines to organic farming, and later to biodynamics. She works alongside her mother in the vineyards, focusing on soil health and harnessing the incredible biodiversity of this forgotten pocket of Alsace. The farm is not just a vineyard; it is a pastoral landscape where vines coexist with meadows, horses, and herds of goats — a world away from the industrial monoculture that dominates much of the region [^201^][^202^].
Jeanne's path to winemaking was not through formal oenology school but through practice and intuition. She learned by doing — observing the vines, tasting the fruit, experimenting in her tiny cellar. Her sensibility is natural, her touch light, her tools simple. She has no fancy equipment, no climate-controlled tanks, no laboratory. What she has is gravity, patience, and an extraordinary sensitivity to the material she works with [^201^][^209^].
"Installée dans sa 'tiny house', au milieu de ses vignes, Jeanne Gaston-Breton commence à se faire un nom et a déjà tout d'une grande."
— DNA (Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace)
Three Terroirs, One Farm
The farm's seven hectares of vines are planted over three distinct terroirs — a remarkable diversity for such a small estate. The soils include clay and limestone, sandstone of volcanic origin, and schist. This geological variety gives Jeanne a palette of flavours and textures to work with, allowing her to produce wines of unusual complexity from a relatively small area [^201^][^202^].
The old vines — Auxerrois, Sylvaner, Riesling, and Pinot Noir — have been tended by the family for generations. Under Jeanne's care, they have been converted to organic and biodynamic farming, with a focus on soil health and biodiversity. The vineyards are surrounded by forest, cooled by mountain breezes, and share the landscape with meadows and animals. This is not monoculture; it is polyculture — a farm where wine is one element of a larger, living system [^201^].
Jeanne works alongside her mother in the vineyards, a collaborative partnership that combines experience with fresh energy. They focus on minimal interventions: compost teas, biodynamic preparations, cover crops, and hand-harvesting. The goal is not to maximise yield but to maximise health — healthy soils, healthy vines, healthy fruit that needs no chemical correction in the cellar [^201^][^209^].
The hamlet of Taubental sits about 400 metres above sea level in the shadow of the Vosges mountains, surrounded by forest. A world away from the monoculture that blights Alsace's famous wine villages, it offers a more pastoral setting where vines share the landscape with meadows, horses, and herds of goats. The altitude and forest influence create a cool microclimate that preserves natural acidity and gives the wines a distinct freshness.
One of the three distinct terroirs on the farm. Clay and limestone soils provide structure, body, and a certain roundness to the wines. This is the foundation for the estate's fuller-bodied whites — Auxerrois and some Sylvaner — giving them depth and a savoury complexity that balances the high-altitude freshness.
Sandstone of volcanic origin — a rare soil type in Alsace that gives the wines a distinctive smoky, mineral character. This terroir is particularly suited to Riesling and Pinot Noir, producing wines with a volcanic tension and a saline finish that sets them apart from typical Alsatian expressions. The volcanic influence adds an almost Jura-like wildness to the wines.
The third distinct terroir — schist soils that contribute tension, floral aromatics, and a distinct mineral clarity. Schist is known for producing wines of elegance and precision, and Jeanne's schist parcels yield some of her most delicate and nuanced cuvées. The combination of schist and high altitude creates wines of remarkable freshness and length.
Gravity, Simplicity & Sensibility
Jeanne's cellar is tiny — a modest space that reflects her philosophy of simplicity and minimal intervention. She works with the simplest of tools and nothing but gravity. There are no pumps, no fancy machinery, no technological shortcuts. The wines move by gravity alone, from press to tank to bottle, preserving their natural equilibrium and avoiding the oxidation and agitation that mechanical pumping can cause [^201^][^209^].
All fermentations are spontaneous with indigenous yeasts. No selected yeasts, no enzymes, no additives of any kind. The wines are unfined and unfiltered, and no sulfur is added. This is possible because of the pristine condition of the fruit — organic and biodynamic farming, hand-harvesting, careful sorting — and because of Jeanne's patience and sensitivity. She gives her wines the time they need to stabilise naturally, to find their balance, and to express their terroir without chemical intervention [^201^].
The majority of the grapes grown on the farm are sold to friends — talented vignerons such as Benoit Rosenberger and Yannick Meckert — who recognise the exceptional quality of Jeanne's fruit. But since her first vintage, Jeanne has gradually begun saving a little more from each harvest for herself. Each year, her own production grows, and with it, her reputation as one of Alsace's most exciting new natural wine producers [^201^][^202^].
Delicate, Nuanced & Achingly Pure
Jeanne's wines are described by those who know them as "delicate, nuanced and achingly pure" — adjectives that capture both their physical character and their emotional impact. This is not accidental; it is the result of specific choices at every stage. In the vineyard: organic and biodynamic farming that builds soil health and vine resilience, polyculture that restores biodiversity, hand-harvesting that ensures only pristine fruit enters the cellar. In the cellar: gravity-only movement that preserves natural equilibrium, spontaneous fermentation that allows the wine to find its own path, and the patience to let each cuvée develop at its own pace. The result is wines that feel both grounded and ethereal — rooted in their terroir but reaching for something beyond mere correctness. As one importer noted, Jeanne's wines "carry a wonderful sense of place" — a quality that reflects both her deep connection to the land and her refusal to impose her will upon it.
Already Everything of a Great Vigneronne
Despite having produced wine for only a few years, Jeanne Gaston-Breton has established herself as one of Alsace's most captivating new producers. Her wines are exported internationally and served in essential natural wine bars and restaurants — proof that her quiet, thoughtful approach resonates far beyond Taubental and Reichsfeld. She is part of a growing movement of young Alsatian vignerons who are redefining the region's reputation, moving away from industrial monoculture toward expressions of purity, biodiversity, and terroir [^201^][^202^].
What sets Jeanne apart is her holistic vision. She is not just a winemaker; she is a farmer, an ecologist, and a philosopher of place. Her tiny house in the middle of the vines is not a gimmick; it is a statement of values — a rejection of excess, a commitment to simplicity, and a deep, daily connection to the land she tends. She lives among her vines, surrounded by the ecosystem she has helped restore, and her wines are the expression of that intimacy [^206^].
The future is focused on gradual expansion of her own production — saving more fruit from each harvest, experimenting with new cuvées, and refining her cellar work. But Jeanne is not in a hurry. She works at the pace of the vineyard, responding to each vintage, each parcel, each moment with patience and intuition. As one journalist noted, she "already has everything of a great vigneronne" — a rare compliment for someone so early in their career, but one that speaks to the depth of her connection to her land and her craft [^206^].
"Jeanne est une vigneronne passionnée qui fait évoluer progressivement son activité de productrice de raisin pour créer et commercialiser ses propres vins."
— Visit to La Ferme des 9 Chemins
The Jeanne Gaston-Breton Range
All wines are farmed organically and biodynamically, hand-harvested, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and bottled without fining, filtration, or added sulfur. The range covers the varieties planted on the farm — Auxerrois, Sylvaner, Riesling, and Pinot Noir — with cuvées that reflect the three distinct terroirs. Production is extremely limited, as the majority of the farm's grapes are sold to other vignerons and Jeanne saves only a small portion for herself. Each vintage, her own production grows slightly, but scarcity remains the defining characteristic [^201^][^202^].