Hervé Ravera may not be working in the famous crus of Beaujolais, but that hasn’t stopped him from producing wines of stunning quality. In fact, we should all be thankful that he decided to give up a successful career in nursing to become a winemaker in 2007, for he is making some of the most joyful juice today from the spiritual home of Gamay.

Hervé avoids labeling with appellations because to him, the Beaujolais-Villages designation has come to stand for homogeneity rather than terroir. His micro Vin de France bottlings, by contrast, clearly express their high-altitude origins in the commune of Marchampt – a locale known for the purity and transparency of its cool-climate fruit.

The domaine’s name “Le Grain de Sénevé” is inspired by the parable of the mustard seed in the gospels; it is a metaphor for the biblical Kingdom of Heaven. And this is what Hervé is cultivating here, with his wife and four young children: his own 2 hectares of stony, schistous, volcanic-soil paradise. He has rehabilitated the vineyard – once tainted with chemicals to the point of near-devastation – and nursed it back to lush, verdant life. A committed polyculturist, Hervé has also acquired 3 hectares of surrounding land to cultivate apples, cherries and peaches beside his vineyard. He keeps bees, geese and chicken to further nurture his self-sustaining ecosystem.

How high can you go? Hervé’s vineyards at Marchampt stand at between 400 to 500 metres above sea level.

Vineyard work is performed solely by Hervé and his horse, the awesomely named “Reggae Night”. He has kept his vineyard area to 2 hectares so that he can do everything himself with just his plow-horse. Hervé says the choice is chiefly a practical consideration: “With a tractor you need to be two persons, but I’m all alone here”. After each harvest, his neighbours join in to help him out with the pressing. His operations are low-tech and frugal, but full of artisanal charm. In his cellar, he works with an old American press that once belonged to Christian Ducroux’s grandfather, and everything flows with the force of gravity.

Ravera is a thoughtful and careful vigneron. When he was first starting out in 2007, he knew that he had much to learn. That is why he adopted a cautious approach, initially applying conventional winemaking wisdom to organic grapes. With each new vintage, he observed the wines he made. Over time, with the benefit of experience and with growing confidence, he was able to inch closer to the way he aspired to work.