Maupertuis Neyrou

Just as Don Vito Corleone looked after his godson Johnny Fontane in the film ‘The Godfather’ (directed by Coppola and released in 1972), this man does the same with his wine. Perhaps this is why he is known as the Godfather of Auvergne wines. Once again this A.O.C., located in the west of Burgundy in central France, has caught the attention of wine lovers and enthusiasts thanks to Jean Maupertuis.

Jean Maupertuis came to this area in the 1990s, when he bought a small vineyard with the simple aim of enjoying his hobby. However, the story took a drastic turn when he left his job as a computer scientist to devote himself entirely to making natural wines. During his apprenticeship in Mâcon, he met other people like Marcel Lapierre who shared his opinion: wines should be made with as little intervention as possible. Under this philosophy, his makes wines like Maupertuis Neyrou where intervention is minimal from the beginning.

In the vineyard itself, lying at an altitude of 450 metres above sea level and on a soil with volcanic remains, Jean Maupertuis uses neither fertilisers nor any type of herbicides. This location, with strong temperature variations between day and night, is the perfect place for Gamay and Pinot Noir to develop a good amount of anthocyanins (the grape component that gives colour to red varieties). The Maupertuis Neyrou grapes are harvested by hand, at night, to ensure that they reach the winery in the best condition. There, Maupertuis has discovered that wine follows natural processes, and that it is better not to intervene in any way to avoid further oxidation. That means Maupertuis Neyrou takes its time in the winery, where the bunches ferment whole. This type of fermentation, known as carbonic maceration, produces CO2 that will naturally protect the wine, meaning no sulphur is needed in the bottling process.

Just as Don Vito Corleone made sure that in the story, singer and actor Johnny Fonaten (character played by Al Martino) shone, Maupertuis does the same with his wines. In the story, the former goes as far as putting a horse’s head in a film producer’s bed. In real life, we don't know what Maupertuis can do from the small garage of his house. It is unlikely to be anything that threatening (those who know him say he is very unassuming); but he will probably put his whole self into whatever he is doing.