Having settled in her village of Vergisson in 2018, Jessica Litaud is already making a name for herself among the finest winemakers in the Mâconnais region. Trained under Jean-Marie Guffens and Jean-François Gannevat (no small feat!), she produces stunning wines from just 2.1 hectares of vines.
Drawing on organic farming methods and natural winemaking techniques, she gives free rein to her instinct and energy. These qualities are evident in her wines, which are very direct expressions of their terroirs. Pure grape juice, with no additives, except for a small amount of SO₂ added at bottling to ensure optimal preservation.
Jessica Litaud, the Mâconnais region’s rising star
Back to basics
After travelling the world (12 countries in 5 years), Jessica Litaud decided to become a winemaker like her father Jean-Jacques, but in her own way. She took over part of the family vineyards, limiting them to 2.10 hectares. This was a deliberate choice to work independently and have full control over her work, both in the vineyard and in the cellar.
Prior to this, she obtained a BTS in wine and spirits marketing in Davayé and trained under two leading winemakers, Jean-Marie Guffens and Jean-François Gannevat.
Jessica Litaud, a 2.10-hectare estate spanning three AOPs:
Jessica Litaud practises organic farming across her entire estate (certified from the 2024 vintage). Since 2022, the estate has also operated a wine merchant arm, sourcing grapes exclusively from organic vineyards.
Manual labour: mechanical weeding, hoeing and manual pruning. No chemicals are used. The soil is worked using a crawler tractor to prevent soil compaction. Vines are pruned using the ‘Guyot-Poussard’ method to reduce vine mortality and preserve sap flow.
The grapes are harvested by hand; all grapes (from the estate and the merchant’s own vineyards) are picked into small crates weighing 7 to 15 kg, then chilled for at least 12 hours in a cold room before being pressed using the Champagne method. All winemaking is carried out without SO2. All wines are vinified and aged in oak barrels for 11 months. No new barrels are used. Some 1er Crus are aged for 22 months in barrels.
The vines and wines are tended in accordance with the phases of the moon.
22: here are the Premier Crus of Pouilly-Fuissé
You’ve probably heard all about it, given how long the battle has been and the extensive media coverage. Since 2020, Pouilly-Fuissé has been the first appellation in the Mâconnais region to be granted Premier Cru status. It took around ten years of work to establish the characteristics of 22 Climats covering 194 hectares (representing 24% of the Pouilly-Fuissé AOC area). They are spread across the appellation’s four communes: Chaintré, Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly and Vergisson.
