Emmanuel Houillon

is a renowned natural winemaker in the Jura region of France and the spiritual and professional successor to the legendary Pierre Overnoy. Often described as Overnoy’s protégé and adopted son in the world of wine, Houillon inherited not only the domaine but also the deep commitment to natural, additive-free winemaking that Overnoy pioneered.

The Overnoy Legacy

Pierre Overnoy is widely credited as one of the founding figures of the modern natural wine movement. Since the 1970s, he has been producing wines without added sulfur, fining, or filtration—radical at the time and still rare today. His meticulous focus on vineyard health and honest, terroir-driven expression gained him cult status among natural wine enthusiasts.

Emmanuel Houillon’s Role

Emmanuel Houillon began working with Overnoy in the late 1980s as a teenager. Over the years, he became not just an apprentice, but Overnoy’s philosophical heir. In the early 2000s, Pierre gradually handed over the reins of the domaine to Houillon, who continued its tradition of strict organic farming, native yeast fermentations, and no added sulfur—upholding the integrity of the wines and their singular style.

The domaine, often referred to as Overnoy-Houillon, is located in Pupillin, a small village in Jura, and cultivates local grape varieties like Poulsard (Ploussard), Trousseau, Chardonnay, and Savagnin. Their wines are renowned for their purity, texture, and unmistakable Jura character, particularly the Vin Jaune and ethereal reds.

Cult Status

Today, the wines of Overnoy-Houillon are some of the most sought-after and scarce in the world of natural wine. Bottles are rarely seen outside of France and often sell out immediately due to high demand and extremely limited production.

In essence, Emmanuel Houillon carries forward Pierre Overnoy’s vision: wines that are alive, unmanipulated, and deeply expressive of their place of origin.

Where to Find Emmanuel Houillon & Maison Pierre Overnoy Wines

Online Retailers (Global & EU Focus)

Wine-Searcher.com **Your essential primary resource for global availability and pricing.** Search for "Pierre Overnoy," "Emmanuel Houillon," or "Maison Pierre Overnoy." Be aware that stock is highly limited, appears and disappears quickly, and prices reflect their extreme rarity.
Fyt Wine (Online, Europe) An online shop that focuses on natural and unique wines, occasionally featuring rare allocations of Maison Pierre Overnoy.
**Rare Wine & Fine Wine Brokers:** Due to their legendary status, many high-end wine brokers and auction houses globally will handle sales of Pierre Overnoy/Emmanuel Houillon wines. Inquire directly with such specialists.

International Retailers & Distributors (Examples by Region)

  • **France (Jura & Beyond):**
    • **Winery Direct Sales/Visits:** Maison Pierre Overnoy / Emmanuel Houillon is located at Rue de l'Abbé Guichard, 39600 Pupillin. Direct sales to the public are exceedingly rare and typically by strict allocation only. There is no public tasting room or e-commerce website. Visits are by special arrangement only.
    • **Specialized Wine Shops (Cavistes) & Restaurants:** Even within France, these wines are only found in a very select few, highly reputable natural wine shops, top wine bars, and Michelin-starred restaurants, often via long-standing relationships with the domaine. Look for shops with a deep natural wine selection.
  • **United States:**
    • **Becky Wasserman & Co. (Importer):** A very important and long-standing importer for Maison Pierre Overnoy in the US. They work with a network of distributors across various states. Contacting your local high-end natural wine shop and asking if they work with Becky Wasserman & Co. for Jura wines is a good starting point (beckywasserman.com).
    • **Chambers Street Wines (NYC):** A highly respected natural wine retailer known for its allocations of rare wines, including those from Overnoy. Keep an eye on their new arrivals (chambersstwines.com).
    • **Everyday Wines (Michigan):** Known to carry very rare allocations, e.g., "2018 Overnoy - Houillon Arbois Ploussard" (everydaywines.com).
    • **SommPicks:** An online retailer with a focus on fine and rare wines, including various Houillon-Overnoy cuvées (sommpicks.com).
    • **Specialty Natural Wine Retailers & Restaurants:** Only the most dedicated natural wine shops and restaurants in major US cities (e.g., New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago) with direct allocation relationships are likely to stock these wines.
  • **United Kingdom:**
    • **Howard Ripley (Importer):** A key UK importer that represents Maison Pierre Overnoy / Emmanuel Houillon. Retailers working with them are the primary source in the UK. (howardripley.com).
    • **Gergovie Wines:** A UK importer and retailer specializing in natural wines from France, often listing Overnoy wines when available (gergovie.co.uk).
    • **Fine & Rare Wines (Broker/Retailer):** Often deal in highly sought-after wines, including those from Pierre Overnoy (fineandrare.com).
    • **Independent Fine Wine & Natural Wine Merchants:** Very few select merchants in London and other major UK cities will receive small quantities.
  • **Japan:**
    • **Louis Robuchon:** A known importer for Pierre Overnoy wines in Japan. Japan has a strong natural wine market where these wines are highly prized.
  • **Germany:**
    • **LobenBerg:** A German distributor mentioned to carry Domaine Overnoy.
    • **Vintage Grapes GmbH:** An online retailer in Germany that sometimes lists Emmanuel Houillon & Pierre Overnoy wines (vintage-grapes.com).
    • *Look for other specialized importers of high-end French natural wines, particularly from the Jura.*

Winery Information & General Profile (Maison Pierre Overnoy / Emmanuel Houillon)

**Winemakers:** Pierre Overnoy (founder, active inspiration), Emmanuel Houillon (adopted son, winemaker since 2001).
**Location:** Rue de l'Abbé Guichard, 39600 Pupillin, near Arbois, Jura, France.
**Philosophy: Uncompromising Zero-Sulfur Natural Wine:** Pierre Overnoy is a global icon and pioneer of **no-sulfur-added winemaking**. The domaine practices meticulous **organic/biodynamic farming** (often certified, but always beyond mere certification) without chemicals. In the cellar, their approach is the epitome of minimal intervention: **hand-harvesting**, **spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts**, **no chaptalization, no acidification, no fining, no filtration, and crucially, absolutely NO added sulfur at any stage**. Wines are aged for extended periods in old barrels (often until deemed ready, sometimes not chronologically by vintage), emphasizing purity and extreme terroir expression.
**Vineyards:** Approximately 6-7 hectares of meticulously farmed vineyards in Pupillin, primarily on marl, clay, and limestone soils, which impart a distinct minerality.
**Key Grape Varieties:**
  • **White:** Chardonnay (known for their "ouillé" - topped-up style, preventing oxidation), Savagnin (also often "ouillé," or very rarely a Vin Jaune).
  • **Red:** Poulsard (Ploussard - their most famous red, delicate yet profound), with very small recent plantings of Trousseau.
**Signature Wines (Examples - legendary, pure, and age-worthy):**
  • **Arbois Pupillin Poulsard:** Their most renowned red, celebrated for its ethereal red fruit, delicate tannins, and vibrant freshness, made entirely without sulfur.
  • **Arbois Pupillin Chardonnay:** A benchmark for "ouillé" Chardonnay from Jura, offering incredible minerality, precision, and longevity.
  • **Arbois Pupillin Savagnin (Ouillé):** A pure expression of Savagnin, made without the oxidative veil, highlighting its unique aromatic profile and acidity.
  • **Vin Jaune:** Extremely rare, made only in exceptional vintages and aged for 6 years and 3 months under a veil of yeast.
  • **"Vin de Liqueur" (often a fortified wine):** Another exceptionally rare bottling.
Wines are typically classified under Arbois-Pupillin AOC.
**Production:** Extremely limited (around 20,000 bottles annually in good years), making their wines highly allocated and difficult to find, often commanding very high prices on the secondary market. They are considered collectibles and benchmarks for natural wine globally.