Do you know Jules Chauvet? Well-known to biodynamic and natural wine enthusiasts, it remains little-known to the general public.

Born in 1907 and died in 1989, Jules Chauvet was a wine merchant and breeder from La Chapelle-de-Guinchay in the Beaujolais region. He is not chosen today for his work as a winegrower, but rather for his training as a chemist at the Lyon chemistry school and the skills he has acquired. Indeed, after completing his secondary education at the Lycée Lamartine in Mâcon and joining his father Philippe Chauvet in the family business “Chauvet Frères” founded by his grandfather, he decided to study at the laboratory of the Institute of Biological Chemistry at the University of Lyon.

After the Second World War and the death of his father and uncle (the partners of “Chauvet Frères”), he became the manager of the family business, while remaining at the Institute of Biological Chemistry in Lyon until 1947. For almost 50 years, he managed the wine business and the family estate, comprising 6 hectares of Beaujolais-Villages.

Alongside his work as a winemaker, Jules Chauvet also works on yeasts, malolactic fermentation and carbonic maceration. Among other things, his dual activity means that he is not confined to laboratory experiments and research, but is also able to carry out “full-scale” winemaking experiments.

The author of numerous scientific works, his main subjects include fundamental biology and biochemistry, applied biology and practical oenology, and tasting, aromas and olfaction. Together with his scientific work, he has become, for many producers such as Georges Descombes (Brouilly, Beaujolais), one of the initiators of biodynamic and natural wines.

To sum up Jules Chauvet’s philosophy in one sentence, we can quote him: “The vine, the less you touch it, the better it does”. He respects the life cycle of vines and soils, favors the use of organic fertilizers, harvests at optimal maturity and takes great care of the berries during harvest. He was almost half a century ahead of his time in forging the concept of “vin nature” and the production of light wines full of aromas and fragrances.

In addition to his scientific work, he was also an outstanding taster and worked with numerous professionals and institutes: Otto Warburg (Nobel Prize for Medicine 1931), the Pasteur Institute, INRA, INAO, ITV, Alain Chapel (3-star chef at Mionnay), the universities of Dijon, Bordeaux, Lyon, Budapest, Washington, the Mâcon laboratory, the Beaune oenological station and lycée viticole…

Photos: Association Jules Chauvet