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Domaine Ganevat***** in Rotalier (pictured), one of the best-known wine estates in the French Jura, is the subject of an investigation by the French judiciary. Its assets were already confiscated in June, the daily newspaper Le Monde recently reported. The former owner Alexander Pumpyanskiy, the son of Russian oligarch Dmitry Pumpyanskiy, is being investigated on suspicion of money laundering.
Pumpyanskiy bought the 13-hectare wine estate from Jean-François Ganevat in September 2021, who continued to run the business with his sister Anne. Following Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022, reports circulated that Ganevat wanted to buy back the estate together with Benoît Pontenier, the managing director of the Prieuré St-Jean de Bébian winery in Languedoc, which is also owned by the Pumpyanskiy family. The Pumpyanskiys' assets were then frozen.
In March 2023, Pontenier and Jocelyn Brancard, oenologist at Ganevat since 2021, finally acquired both wine estates. Jean-François and Anne Ganevat were not involved in the financial transactions. Doubts were immediately raised as to how two employees of the Domaines could have raised the purchase price of 15 million euros. The wine magazine La Revue du Vin revealed that large sums of money had previously been transferred to companies managed by Pontenier. It is suspected that they came from a Cypriot investment company owned by the Pumpyanskiy family.
All of Dmitry Pumpyanskiy's appeals to have him and his family removed from the EU sanctions list have so far been rejected. However, the French judiciary is allowing work to continue on the estates until the investigations have been concluded. Jean-François Ganevat told the press that he had never discussed financial matters with Pontenier and was focussing on vinifying the 2023 vintage.
(al / source: wine-searcher)