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.