Jérôme GuichardLandscape to Terroir
From landscape artist to guardian of centenarian vines—Jérôme Guichard inherited Guy Blanchard's 1917-organic estate in 2011, crafting intense, iconoclastic Chardonnay and volcanic Gamay with zero sulfur and radical patience.
From tending landscapes to inheriting a legend—how Guy Blanchard's organic legacy found its new steward in a quiet, hard-working artist.
Jérôme Guichard is described by all who know him as quiet, humble, and hard-working—a man who spends the majority of his life out in the vines. Before becoming a vigneron, he was a landscape artist, working with plants and terrain. This background in understanding soil and vegetation would prove essential to his future in wine [^147^][^148^][^149^].
In 2011, after several years learning alongside his friend Philippe Jambon (the zero-sulfur pioneer of Chasselas), Jérôme took over an extraordinary opportunity: the domaine of Guy Blanchard, a legendary figure in natural wine. He purchased an old farmhouse and just under three hectares of old Chardonnay vineyards in the commune of Montbellet in the Mâconnais [^147^][^151^].
The inheritance was profound: vines that had never known chemicals, farmed continuously organic for nearly a century. Jérôme expanded his holdings to include Gamay in Leynes (where the Mâconnais meets Beaujolais, planted in 1946 over black volcanic soils) and additional parcels in Uchizy over pure limestone. Today he farms approximately 4.5 hectares of scattered micro-parcels [^147^][^148^][^161^].
"Arranged or deranged"—master of bacteria and yeast, creating wines of duality that challenge the faint of heart.
Jérôme continues the work of his mentor with a focus on helping the vines retain health naturally. He uses herbal plants and organic teas in the vineyard, understanding that biodiversity creates resilience. His background as a landscape artist manifests in his approach to the land—working with the plants rather than imposing upon them [^147^][^148^].
In the cellar, he is a master of yeast and bacteria, understanding microbial life at a profound level. His winemaking is delicate: reds are not macerated for very long, favoring fruit and fleshiness over minerality through careful skin contact. The resulting wines are deliciously pulpy—tactile, immediate, and deeply satisfying [^148^].
For the whites, Jérôme uses the anti-oxidative qualities of lees contact to retain fruit aromas and flavors, creating wines that are simultaneously very mineral (due to the high clay content in his soils) and intensely aromatic. Nothing is added at any stage—zero sulfur, no fining, no filtration. The wines rest in old barrels until absolutely ready, bottled in small lots often directly from the casks [^147^][^148^].
Master
Montbellet, Leynes, and Uchizy—where 1917-organic Chardonnay meets 1946 volcanic Gamay in Burgundy's borderlands.
Mâconnais
Three hectares of old Chardonnay in the commune of Montbellet, surrounded by forest. The clay and limestone soils vary between parcels, creating distinct expressions. These vines have been organic since 1917—unbroken chemical-free farming for over a century [^147^][^148^].
Volcanic Gamay
Just over a hectare of Gamay planted in 1946 where the Mâconnais meets Beaujolais. The black volcanic soils (shared with Philippe Jambon and Pierre Boyat) produce deeply savory, structured expressions of the grape. This is the transition zone between Burgundy and Beaujolais [^147^][^148^].
Limestone Gamay
An additional hectare of Gamay planted over pure limestone, producing vibrant, luminous wines that contrast with the dark volcanic Leynes expression. This gives Jérôme two distinct Gamay terroirs to work with—savory depth versus bright acidity [^147^].
From the "arranged or deranged" duality of Montbellet to collaborations with his brother-in-law—wines of intensity and contradiction.
Montbellet Blanc
The flagship white from the 1917-organic parcels around Montbellet. Old barrels, extended lees contact, and zero additions create wines that are deep, heady, and sometimes challenging for the faint of heart. Intensely mineral from the clay soils yet aromatically complex. These wines offer energy, textures, and aromas we rarely associate with Burgundy—pushing the boundaries of what Mâconnais Chardonnay can express [^147^][^148^][^149^].
Leynes Rouge
From the 1946-planted Gamay on black volcanic soils shared with Philippe Jambon. Short maceration to preserve fruit and create "fleshiness" rather than extraction. The volcanic terroir gives deeply savory, structured wines with a distinct dark, earthy character. Pulp and immediacy balanced by volcanic depth—a unique expression of Gamay that sits somewhere between Burgundy and Beaujolais [^148^][^161^].
Uchizy Rouge
From the limestone-heavy hectare in Uchizy. Contrasts with the Leynes cuvée—here the Gamay shows vibrant, luminous qualities, bright acidity, and red fruit precision. The limestone gives a completely different expression of the same grape, showcasing Jérôme's ability to work with terroir rather than impose style [^147^].
Mañana
Jérôme's first release of Pinot Noir (Pinot Fin, a Burgundian ancestral strain). Described as "smoky and deep, leathery with fine tannins"—somewhere between Syrah and Gamay in character. "Pure Guichardian hedonism" that channels the volatility and intensity of his mentor Guy Blanchard. A wine that confounds blind tasters and defies categorization [^150^].
Arrêts Fréquents
A collaboration with Daniel Millet (his brother-in-law) and others. Named for the sign on the back of Jérôme's truck ("This Vehicle Makes Frequent Stops"), this is a propulsive, linear wine with healthy, vigorous fermentation character. Combines the unsulfited purity of Jérôme's winemaking with Daniel's high-altitude Gamay. "Altitudinous acidity" meets Mâconnais depth [^154^].
Montblé Orange
A macerated Chardonnay (orange wine) from the Montbellet parcels. Aromatic and mineral with light tannins from skin contact. Shows Jérôme's experimental side—taking the oldest organic vines in the estate and applying extended skin contact to create a textural, complex orange wine that still maintains the site's characteristic minerality [^152^].
The Blanchard Inheritance
Jérôme Guichard represents a rare phenomenon in natural wine: the seamless continuation of a multi-generational organic legacy. Taking over vines that have been farmed organically since 1917, he stepped into a living archive of pre-chemical agriculture. Where others must convert and rehabilitate, Jérôme simply continued—maintaining the mixed agriculture, biodiversity, and forest buffers that the Blanchard family established over a century ago [^147^][^148^].
His wines embody the duality of "arranged or deranged"—they are either perfectly composed or wildly challenging, never in between. This mirrors his approach: the quiet, humble worker in the vines versus the intense, iconoclastic wines in the bottle. By farming scattered micro-parcels across three distinct terroirs (clay-limestone, volcanic, and pure limestone), he creates a mosaic of Burgundy's borderlands—Mâconnais Chardonnay that rivals the Côte d'Or for depth, and Gamay that bridges the stylistic gap between Beaujolais and Burgundy [^150^].
- Inherited 1917-organic vineyards (unbroken century)
- Former landscape artist turned vigneron
- Student of Philippe Jambon (zero-sulfur pioneer)
- Master of yeast and bacteria
- Two terroirs for Gamay: volcanic vs. limestone
- Short maceration, fleshy reds
- Lees-aged, mineral whites
- Zero sulfur, unfined, unfiltered
- Old barrel élevage only
- Bottled directly from cask in small lots
- Collaborations: Arrêts Fréquents, Mañana