The story begins more than 300 years ago with Jean Loron in the village of Chénas, in the heart of the steep hills of Beaujolais. Unlike his parents who worked in different types of farming (including vineyards) like so many farmers did at that time, Jean decided to specialise in viticulture.
He started by vinifying some category 1 “lieux-dits” or named parcels (future “climats”) in Beaujolais and Burgundy, with the aim of obtaining the perfect raw material to create superior quality wines.
It was the beginning of the family’s story.
Almost a century later in 1821, his grandson Jean-Marie, aware of the wines’ potential, took over the estate and decided to set up his business in Pontanevaux, not far from the railway.
Over the years, Jean Loron’s descendants have built solid partnerships with some prestigious names. Our history is punctuated with notable events.
First partnership with
the wine merchant Nicolas in Paris.
Partnership with the
Maison Louis Jadot in Beaune.
First bottling
at the Pontanevaux winery
under the supervision of Jean Barbet.
Arrival of Xavier Barbet
eighth generation of the family.
Finally, in 2016, the reins were handed from Xavier Barbet, an eighth generation Loron, to Philippe Bardet, originally from Beaujolais and a great connoisseur of Burgundy. This marked a turning point for our Maison, which is looking to the future more than ever.
Find out more: Philippe Bardet has been director of the Maison Jean Loron since 2015. He has dedicated more than thirty years to the service of Burgundy and Beaujolais wines. His grandfather, Henri Mommessin, taught him to be a successful wine merchant and gave him a passion for great Burgundy wines.
From 1998 to 2006, he managed one of the large Beaujolais operators in Quincié, part of the Boisset group. And from 2007 to 2014 in Nuits-Saint-Georges, he gave a new lease of life to a fine Burgundy wine company.
Honoured to have been asked by Xavier Barbet to take the helm at the Maison Jean Loron, he returned to his first love, the lands of Beaujolais and Mâconnais. His aim was to further enhance the reputation of our great wines around the world, while maintaining a relationship of trust with our customers.
Xavier Barbet was born in 1947 and grew up in Pontanevaux, in the village where the Maison Jean Loron is located.
After studying in Dijon and the United States, he returned to the region in 1977 to work for the family business with his father and uncle. Xavier Barbet represents the eighth generation of the Loron family.
In 2009, he bought the Château de Bellevue with its 8 hectares of vines to develop parcel-by-parcel vinification and a successful wine tourism project. He also runs an estate in Moulin-à-Vent with his brother Nicolas. In 2016, Xavier Barbet put his trust in Philippe Bardet to take over the running of the Maison Jean Loron.
Many of the estates and châteaux have been in the Jean Loron family for centuries, such as the Château de Fleurie and the Domaine des Billards. Recent acquisitions have further enhanced this remarkable collection.
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