2009 Pierre Boniface Apremont Vin de Savoie France

Ok, let’s face it; it is another post about Savoie. Unbelievable, summer is here, and all I can write about is Savoie, Savoie and more Savoie. But you know what? Why not?

After all, it comes “très á propos” in my quest of always trying to introduce you to lesser-known regions, grapes and wines from around the world crafted by small artisanal producers and family owned estates.

Granted, after reading my last 3-4 posts about Savoie wines, you must be extremely knowledgeable and on the verge of getting annoyed or bored. But what can I do, these wines are great! And the Savoie region remains so undiscovered for so many people. I just want to talk and write about it.

After writing about great producers like Eugène Carrel et Fils, Andrien Berlioz, Gilles Berlioz, a few of the Quénard (and God only knows how many they can be within this huge family, at least 6 different that I know of), Thierry Tissot, and René & Beatrice Bernard from Cellier du Palais, I couldn’t write about another wine from another region without writing something about Pierre Boniface, one of the most recognized personality of Savoie and surely one of my favorite Savoie producers.

I bought my first bottles of Pierre Boniface about 10 years ago; it was his Apremont 1999 Cuvee Prestige Les Rocailles. I loved it and somewhat consequently fell in love with Savoie wines. At that time Jacquère, Roussette or Altesse, Bugey, Mondeuse didn’t mean much for me. I had the chance to serve a few of these little gems in the restaurant where I worked as Sommelier 14 years ago, but had only little interest. I was young and naïf, and my palate was more acquainted to wines with more fruit, weight and substance with more oak influence…

I guess it came from my Bordeaux origins and the fact that at that time, Robert Parker Jr. critics were more in favor to heavier wines and were setting the trend. But all of this has changed, more than 18 years of tasting and nearly 14 years of wine buying later, my palate has considerably developed to become the discriminating and dissecting tools that ever since has shaped and ruled my everyday life at work but also at home. Harmony, freshness, minerality, balance, crispiness, varietally correct and Terroir oriented features, rapidly replaced over-ripe, heavy, alcoholic, woody and jammy, in my wine vocabulary.

And somewhat, I was terribly influenced by the wines of the Loire and Burgundy, but I need to admit that the wines from Jura and more especially Savoie startled me the most and enabled me to make that change and sharpened my taste buds.

Pierre Boniface Vin de Savoie France

Pierre Boniface wines are produced at “Les Rocailles”, a “lieu dit” of St. André-les-Marches, a little village nestled in the Savoie Vallée, about 13 kilometers south of Chamberry, in the foothills of French Alps.

Established for centuries in the village of Apremont and its immediate surroundings, the Boniface were always connected to agriculture and viticulture. They were winegrower and Négociant.

Conducting a modest business, Pierre’s father was only farming 20 acres (about 8.10 hectares) and buying grapes from another 20 on handshake deals when Pierre took over.

Gradually, Pierre Boniface grew the business and expanded his vineyards and although not the largest, he became one of the larger estates in the area of Les Marches, and consequently of Savoie.

Les Rocailles now owns nearly 50 acres (about 20 hectares) in Apremont, which provide half of the grapes for his 25,000+ cases annual production of his Apremont, and purchases grapes from nearly 60 more acres (about 24 hectares) under contract with his neighbors. Boniface buys grapes, but never bulk wines; thus, every bottle he produces are fermented and vinified in his cellar and bottled at the property.

The vineyards constitute of about 40 acres Jacquère for Apremont owned, and 40 leased. In addition, the estate owns about 8 acres of Roussette, leases about 15 acres. Atop all that, they also have small acreages of Chardonnay for their Brut, some more Jacquère for their “Abymes”, and some Gamay for the rosé and some Mondeuse for the red. And finally, three acres of Roussanne are leased for the production of Chignin-Bergeron.

Pierre Boniface several Savoie wines, including: Apremont, Brut de Savoie NV, Caprice des Rocailles Sparkling Rosé NV, Roussette de Savoie and Mondeuse and Chignin-Bergeron.

Understandably, Apremont is Boniface’ s signature wine. Produced with 100% Jacquère, it accounts for 70% of the production, with a vast majority sold to the export markets. This great value white is the perfect introduction to the unique and distinctive wines of Savoie.

Growers like Pierre usually look forward to passing their domains on to their children, but in this case, it was just not meant to be. His daughter Miriam is a computer systems architect and his son is literally a rocket scientist. Pierre subsequently sold the business to Guillaume Durand and Alban Thouroude, two young men (born and bred in Savoie) with MBA's from the University of Grenoble.

All of the winery/vineyard staff has stayed on, and Pierre will continue to actively consult for the next few years. Yet, even under new management the quality has not decreased, on the contrary, it has evolve and aim for higher ground in complexity. Pierre Boniface has now become a brand, a name expressing quality and Terroir driven attitude, recognized and often praised by the press and the critics.



2009 Pierre Boniface Apremont Vin de Savoie France
Suggested retail price $13-$16
Imported by …

Pierre Boniface Apremont is made with 100% Jacquère, from vines of more than 40 years of age in average, in both owned and leased vineyards. The yields are of 4.75 tons/acre (about 9 tones per hectares). The wine doesn’t see any oak at all to preserve freshness and fruit quality, and is vinified in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. Alcohol is usually quite low, usually 11% (or sometime a little less) and rarely above 12.5%. Apremont is often dry but not tart, flowery but not too perfumy. Recent bottling may present a little CO2, a touch of “pétillance” or light fizz on the tongue, if you prefer.

Once again, you’ve got to love Savoie white wines. Fresh, limpid, crisp, vivid and full of minerals that add almost a touch of purity, this Boniface Apremont is no exception. What a wine! Behind its pale straw-yellow color, the aromas are a beautiful cocktail of fresh summer white and yellow fruits including peaches and citrus mixed with mountain dew on pasture grass. There is also a delicate but distinct blossom, flowery element; also reminiscent of the nearby Alpine meadows intermingled with the minerality of the icy glacier spring waters. On the palate the wine is light on its feet, yet complex and delicate like a dancing ballerina. The lingering finish is particularly smooth, pleasingly dry and surely inviting for another sip. In warm and hot weather, only water, Muscadet or some very dry Moselle Rieslings can compete as ultimate thirst-quenchers. It is infinitely refreshing.

Pair it with Savoyard’s specialties like: Raclette and Fondue Savoyarde, Paté en Croute, and the unmistakable “Tartiflette” (Oven baked potatoes with cream, bacon and sautéed onions topped with farmhouse Reblochon cheese, served with green salad) or simply with mussels or Provence-style shrimp “sautée”, flavored with a dash of Pernod.

Bonne retraite Pierre Boniface! And let’s hope that they will continue to walk in your steps long after you will have left your few consulting years.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken and edited from the importer website at www.winemerchant.net (Hand Picked Selections)


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Savoie & Adrien Berlioz Cellier des Cray Chignin Savoie France

Savoie

Savoie is decidedly one of my favorite French wine areas with the Southwest of France, Loire Valley, Burgundy and Jura. I have always liked the wines from the northern and southern Rhone Valley, Provence, Languedoc and Roussillon, yet I have discovered that if the wines are too hot, too ripe or present too much alcohol, I’m not into them at all.

As a Bordeaux native, I like Bordeaux wines a lot but I’m relatively picky with the juice from my region of origin. I need to admit that the last 18 years spent tasting between 4,000 to 6,000(+) wines a year from all around the world as a Sommelier and Wine buyer, oriented my palate towards bright, balanced, juicy, harmonious, structured and textured yet vivid red, white and rosé wines with crisp acidity, good minerality and refreshing palate rather than overripe, opulent and oaky fruit bombs.

That is why, I must confess, it is somewhat difficult for me to fully appreciate New World style wines, especially when super oaky and over 14.5 degrees of alcohol. I understand and comprehend them and even realize why some people may like them, as I have to in order to diversify the wine selection on the shelves and offer a wide array of wines in the store to satisfy my customers’ tastes, but I rarely enjoy them: too heavy, too alcoholic, too woody, lacking of freshness and vibrancy.

In fact, I like some of the New Zealand and South-African wines, which can be pretty good and expressive; but also some Malbec from Argentina, Tannat from Uruguay, some Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile and California, some Pinot Noir from Oregon and Washington, and even quite a few Greek and Lebanese wines.

However, whatever I do or taste, it seems that I always come back to the old world, and more especially wines from vineyards located in cooler climate with higher elevation, presenting more minerals and acidity with less alcohol and crispier taste.

Despite my love for Spanish and Portuguese wines in general (the traditional style preferably), fresh and crispy wines from hillsides and steep slopes seems to please my palate more than anything else, and I usually greatly appreciate the wines from Piedmont, Veneto, Alto-Adige, Tuscany and Campania in Italy, and more especially Loire, Burgundy, Alsace, Jura and Savoie in France.

But why Savoie? Is it because I did my army in the “Chasseurs Alpins” in Grenoble and I’m very familiar with the area and enjoy the countless hours of trekking and climbing in the Alps? I don’t know, but one thing is sure Mountainous wines seems to be clean, pure, versatile, complex, vibrant and surely very easy to drink and enjoy. They almost feel like glacier spring water gently and slowly filtered by the rocky soils, taking all the best components the ground as to offer and restituting them in its pure and refreshing and thirst quenching mineral unique way.

For me, Savoie wines reflect their environment of origin: light on their feet and lightly perfumed like a mountain breeze, pure, crisp, vivid, super refreshing, from the most simple to the most complex, they always seem very pleasing and the unavoidable minerality add an extra dimension that is extremely satisfying.

Vin de Savoie is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for wines produced in the Savoie region, which is located in the foothills of the French Alps, central eastern part of France (south of Geneva). The region is divided roughly into three distinct parts: the glacially sculpted terrain along the South shore of Lake Geneva, the hilly country near the northern end of the "Lac du Bourget", and the area bordering the "Massif des Bauges" south of Chambéry.

Savoie's wines: The produced wines are mostly white (more than 70%), made from grape varieties planted mainly on the slopes of the various surrounding Mountain chains (and partly in the valley) around the villages of Chignin, Apremont, Abymes, Jongieux, St Badolph and Cruet for the whites, made with Altesse (also known as Roussette), Jacquère, Chasselas, Chardonnay and also Roussanne for the rare Chignin-Bergeron. There are also some reds (relatively light yet fresh, earthy and aromatic) made from Mondeuse, Gamay Noir and occasionally Pinot Noir, and also some rosés made from Gamay and some sparkling wines.

Chignin: Located about 10 miles southeast of Chambéry, the little village of Chignin resides at the foot of the high limestone escarpments in the southern part of the Bauges massif, central eastern France, in the Savoie region (eastern part of the Rhône-Alpes, bordering the neighboring Switzerland and Valle d'Aosta in Italy).

Chignin (Suite): Overhanging the valley at an altitude of roughly 370 meters on the southwestern slope of the Summit of Montgelas (1300 meters above sea level), this pretty Savoyard village of Chignin can be spotted from a distance due to its 14th century tower and its 19th century chapel dedicated to Saint-Anthelme. Also, due to its location, Chignin offers a fantastic panorama of the mountains of the Chartreuse National Park, especially the "Mont Grenier", located westward on the opposite side of the valley. Moreover, directly opposite of Chignin on the other side of the valley and “niched” on the eastern slope foothills of the summit of the "Pas de la Fosse", you can also see the village of Apremont, one of the other Cru villages from "Vin de Savoie". "Les Abymes" is nestled in the valley, separating the Massif des Bauges to the east and the Massif de la Chartreuse to the west, between Chignin and Apremont.

In a previous post, I was talking about the Quenard, which is a name particularly common in Savoie. Yet, Berlioz seems to take the same road, after Gilles Berlioz (read my previous post at www.ledomduvin.com/2009/08/2008-domaine-gilles-berlioz-chignin), today’s post is all about Adrien Berlioz.

Adrien Berlioz Cellier des Cray Chignin Savoie France

Adrien Berlioz took over the little family estate called “Cellier des Cray” at the beginning of 2006 and made it one of the most prestigious domaine of Chignin. The Domaine encompasses about 4.5 hectares of vineyards in organic conversion, located in a "lieu dit" called "Les Viviers" near Chignin, a small village between Albertville and Chambéry, at about 390 meters above sea level.

All the vines are planted in a warm Terroir composed of rock scree on the surface and calcareous-clay sub-soil. The very steep slopes’ vineyards, with 50% of inclination for some of them, are planted with grapes such as Jacquère and Roussanne for the white and Mondeuse for the red.

Adrien works with respect for the environment using, for now, the “Lutte Raisonnée” method with minimal use of chemicals, only when really necessary. He also uses Organic techniques tending towards Biodynamic, that he adapts to each parcels depending on the treatment needed to obtain the healthiest vines and grapes. Atop of not using any herbicides or inorganic fertilizers, working and plowing the ground are done with small tools to avoid tamping the soil and in the same time allow the upper ground layers and roots to breath. Everything is done mainly by hand and using a tractor will be too dangerous anyway due to the steepness of the slope in certain parcels. By working his vines and soils this way, he is hoping to be soon totally Organic or even Biodynamic.

This young “vigneron” is animated by great passion and rare humility. His wines transcribe the sincerity and detailed oriented attitude of the people from Savoie, but also the richness and complexity of their Terroir of origin. Adrien gives his vines a paternal attention translated into his wines with great attention to produce the best this mountainous land can offer.

Adrien Berlioz “Cellier des Cray” produces about 5 wines including 3 in the US market:




2009 Cellier des Cray Vin de Savoie Chignin Savoie France
Suggested retail price $11-$13
Distributed by Savio Soares Selection in NYC

This 100% Jacquère was vinified in stainless steel tanks and didn’t see any oak. The vines are about 40-45 years of age, planted on clay-calcareous soil, with a density of 8000 vines per hectares and yield averaging about 50 hectoliters per hectare. After manual harvest with transport of the grapes in plastic cases to arrive intact at the cellar, then immediate pressing with no air contact to prevent oxidation, vinification occurred in stainless still vats with regular bâtonnage of the lees for 4-6 months.

It is the pure expression of this indigenous grape producing light, clear, clean white wines marked by their vivid acidity, enhancing minerality and extreme versatility. Fresh, crisp, with a slight effervescence gently titillating your taste bud, what we call “perlant” in French, without being bubbly, this wine offers blossom and white citrus on the nose and on the palate. Quite delightful and refreshing I must say. Serve it cold as an aperitif by hot spring or summer afternoon, but also with crustaceans and light fish.



2009 Cellier des Cray Vin de Savoie Chignin-Bergeron Cuvée "Euphrasie" and Cuvée Tradition Savoie France
Suggested retail price ...(to be confirmed)
Distributed by Savio Soares Selection in NYC

This 100% Roussanne was also vinified in stainless steel tanks. The vines are about 20-25 years of age, planted on clay-calcareous soil topped by scree of rocks, with a density of 8000 vines per hectares and yield averaging about 50 hectoliters per hectare. After manual harvest with transport of the grapes in plastic cases to arrive intact at the cellar, then immediate pressing with no air contact to prevent oxidation, vinification occurred in stainless still vats and oak barrels with regular bâtonnage of the lees for 4-6 months. The ageing on the lees and slight touch of oak intermingled with the character of the Roussanne grape confer this wine great complexity and texture.

The Roussanne being more aromatic, layered and fruitier than Jacquère, the resulting wine is more powerful and expressive, yet it remains elegant and refined with harmonious complexity. The nose and palate are models of refinement with floral aromas, citrus and white fruits complemented by earthy notes. The gently coating palate is expanding nicely towards the inviting lingering finish. It has more ageing potential and support more elaborated dishes like white meat, fish in sauce, cheeses and desserts.



2009 Cellier des Cray Vin de Savoie rouge Mondeuse France
Suggested retail price...(to be confirmed)
Distributed by Savio Soares Selection in NYC

Mondeuse Noire is a red wine grape that is indigenous and grown primarily in the Savoie region of France. The grape can also be found in Argentina, Australia, and California, but it is in the foothills of the Alps in the Savoie region that it is the most expressive.

This 100% Mondeuse was crafted from vines about 50-55 years of age, planted on scree of rocks topping clay-calcareous subsoil on steep soils, with a density of 8000 vines per hectares and yield averaging about 50 hectoliters per hectare. After manual harvest with transport of the grapes in plastic cases to arrive intact at the cellar, then after a cold maceration for 12 hours, fermentation occurred in stainless still vats and the “encuvage” lasted for about 2-3 weeks. The wine was then aged for 6 to 8 months in used demi-Muid(s) of 600 liters (large oak vats) of 2nd and 3rd use (meaning that the barrels were used to make one or two more wine before the current one).

Adrien Berlioz crafts “a mean” Mondeuse that is excellent. Slightly tannic, spicy, powerful yet fairly light and vivid, voluptuous and “charpentée” (meaning structured), this Mondeuse is the unaltered expression of the Terroir intermingled with red cherry fruits, floral and earthy notes. What a lovely wine! Here again, like the Roussanne, it has good ageing potential and food friendly attitude. Pair it with game, venison, hare and Savoie’s cheeses like Tomme de Savoie and Reblochon.


In conclusion, I will say that the passionate Adrien Berlioz, a young "Vigneron-Récoltant Indépendant", crafts some really interesting wines that reflect his personality and the character of their Terroir of origin. They deserve all your attention as they just arrived in the US market and are very promising.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken and edited from an email from Adrien Berlioz and different other sources to produce a winery technical data sheet for Savio Soares Selection.


Step into the Green! Drink more Biodynamic, Biologique and Organic wines (and spirits and food) from sustainable culture and respect the environment! Support the right causes for the Planet and all the people suffering all around the globe! Also follow projects and products from the Fair Trade, an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions and promote sustainability.

Appellation: Savoie and Eugene Carrel et Fils at Jongieux Vin de Savoie France

Savoie

Savoie is a French department (county) located in the Rhône-Alpes region of central eastern France, bordering Switzerland to the north and Italy's Valle d'Aosta region to the south.

If you look at a map of Haute-Savoie and Savoie, you will realize that this mountainous region includes some of the greatest and family friendly ski resorts of the French Alps, like: Chamberry, Albertville and Chamonix. It also includes the town of Thonon-les-Bains, a highly reputed thermal station on the south central bank of the lake Geneva, near the even more renowned thermal town of Evian (-les-Bains). It is a beautiful, enchanting place to discover and to do some trekking during the summer.

The region also offers some of the highest vineyards in France, producing mainly traditional, bright, crisp, mineral whites, complemented by a few light reds and roses made from local, quite unknown, indigenous grape varieties.

Savoie's white wines are usually at their finest fresh, from the latest harvest, when they retain the mineral purity (almost like spring water on a mountain rock or mountain dew on the grassy meadow of the higher plateau), freshness, and floral aromas of an Alpine summer morning.

The most planted local white grapes are Roussette (also called Altesse), Jacquère and Gringet, complemented with Chardonnay and Chasselas, though a few others are permitted including Roussane and Aligoté (and more).

The reds and rosés are usually crafted with Gamay, Pinot Noir and Mondeuse (and more rarely but also existing Syrah and the Cabernets). Red wines from Savoie can be very pleasant if light, and high in acid but, too often, they are mostly undiscovered and especially overshadowed by the whites, usually more in favor to most consumers.

Savoie also houses some sparkling wines: Vin de Savoie Pétillant and Vin de Mousseux (white and rosé), often produced from a blend of Chardonnay, Chasselas and Roussette.

Included within the Vin de Savoie, the 6 main appellations are Bugey, Rousette de Savoie, Crépy and Seyssel (and the "Cru" villages, see below)

• Bugey: produces mainly white, and a bit of red and rosé wines, but is somewhat more welknown in the US market for its Bugey-Cerdon (a earthy, refreshing, slightly-sweet natural sparkling rosé wine usually made made from Gamay, Pinot Noir or Mondeuse, and occasionally blended with Poulsard).

• Roussette de Savoie: made usually with mainly Roussette grapes (also called Altesse) blanded with Chardonnay (up to 50% depending of the producer and the desired final product) for the AOC only. For the AOC mentioning the name of the village or the name of a specific vineyard, (thus bearing the "cru" designation, i.e.: Frangy, Marestel, Monterminod and Monthoux), Altesse must be the only grape, no blending permitted. These "cru(s)" benefits of the best conditions and the best micro-climates, producing greater, even age worthy, wines.
  

• Crépy: a small, fairly unknown local wine area where the Chasselas grape is king, producing whites meant to be drunk young and fresh.
  

• Seyssel: here again, a small, fairly unknown local wine area where most wines are made with Altesse, producing whites meant to be drunk young and fresh, except some sparkling (Mousseux) made with other local grape varieties: 90% Molette Blanche and Chasselas, and 10% Altesse.
  

However, among the many wines produced in Savoie, there are about fifteen "Cu" villages (comprised in the large "Vin de Savoie" region) that can add their name to the "Vin de Savoie" (i.e. Jongieux Vin de Savoie or Chignin Vin de Savoie). Some villages have also specific grape varieties that they use only in their village, and can add it to their name on the label (i.e. Mondeuse d'Arbin).

The fifteen cru villages are: Abymes, Apremont, Arbin, Ayze, Charpignat, Chautagne, Chignin, Chignin-Bergeron, Cruet, Marignan, Montmélian, Ripaille, Saint-Jean-de-la-Porte, Saint-Jeoire-Prieuré and Saint-Marie-d'Alloix.

The most recognized Savoie wine names, that you can find in the US, are: Chignin, Chignin-Bergeron, Roussette de Savoie, Altesse, Pinot Gris and Mondeuse Blanche (white, very rare) for the whites, and Mondeuse, Mondeuse d'Arbin, Pinot Noir and Gamay for the reds.

More and more small distributors are focusing on the wines from this region that deserves a bit more attention. Ask your local retailer (me for example) for more details.

For today, I will just recommend you to taste the following wine from Eugene Carrel. It is a great value for money and surely one of the most perfect entry-level wines to start learning a bit more about Savoie and its wines.

Eugene Carrel et Fils at Jongieux

Jongieux is a small appellation surrounding the village of the same name, located north of Chamberry, near the western bank of lake Bourget (Lac du Bouget).

The vineyard of Jongieux lies on a plateau at an altitude of between 300 and 500 meters (and up) of altitude. The melting of an ancient glacier formed the plateau. Jongieux (and Jongieux le Haut) resides on the flank of the nearby mountain, known as the "Dent du Chat", separating the lake from the area of Jongieux. The Lake Bourget is one of the largest natural lakes in France, and it empties into the Rhône River.

The Lake and especially the nearby mountains temperate the atmosphere, protect the vineyards, canalize the cold wind from the north and from the Alps to the east. All these factors create Jongieux’s unique warm micro-climate, forming an ideal ecosystem propice to grow vines, more especially the local, established and perfectly adapted Altesse and Jacquère grape varieties which excel in this mountainous environment.

Eugene Carrel manages the 14th century estate and its vineyards with his son Olivier and his son in law Sebastien. Eugene Carrel is especially known for his "Roussette de Savoie Cru Marestel". Marestel is the only Cru (non-village but vineyard this time) of the Savoie region, due to its exceptional exposition and micro-climate.

The Marestel vineyard roughly starts behind the village of Jongieux, and go up to the mountain, planted east-north-east, with a great west-south-western exposure ideal to fully ripen the fruit. The extremely steep upper slope (70%) faces southwest and receives favorable amount of sunlight to produce high quality grapes with proper phenolic ripeness. The curving of the slope and its exposition ensure that the late ripening and low-yielding Altesse grapes regularly ripen at over 13.5% alcohol naturally. The constant wind is a natural barrier against certain vine's diseases like mildew and rot, drying the grapes, but it also brings freshness.

The soil is mainly composed of broken limestone rocks (forming some scree, also called talus) and small stones, formed and deposited by the glacier. This stony T-erroir, on slope with great exposure, ensure healthy and often perfectly ripe grapes because it drains well the rain and retains the heat of the day to restitute it at night. Resulting into aromatic, mineral, ripe, medium bodied, fleshy yet not opulent, fresh, crisp, dry and balanced white, red, rosé and sparkling wines.

Winemaker from father to son, for 3 generations, Eugene Carrel et Fils (and sons) is a family own property of 22 hectares of vines, divided in several parcels and producing about 10 different wines: 1.66 hectares of Altesse (for "cru Marestel"); 2.55 hectares of Altesse (for Roussette de Savoie); 3.32 hectares of Jacquère (for cru Jongieux white); 2.82 hectares of Gamay (for cru Jongieux Gamay); 1.20 hectares of Gamay Vieillles Vignes (cru Jongieux Gamay Vieilles Vignes Cuvée Prestige -old vines-); 3.52 hectares of Mondeuse (for cru Jongieux Mondeuse and cru Jongieux Mondeuse élevé en Fût de Chêne); the roughly seven hectares left include the estate, some land and some younger vines. Along with the cited wines above, Carrel also produces a Rosé de Savoie (65% Gamay and 35%Mondeuse) and Vine de Savoie "Méthode Traditionnelle" sparkling white made with Altesse, Jacquère and Chardonnay.

Most of Carrel's wines are vinified in stainless still tank to retain freshness and crispiness and to maximize the fruit aromas and flavors. A few of the wines are aged in oak barrels or partially used oak barrels to add extra dimension (volume if you prefer) and structure. I became a big fan of his wines a few years ago when I first tasted his 2006 Jongieux white.

My love for the wines of Savoie (and also Jura wines) goes back to when I used to be a young Sommelier in Paris then in London (more than 12 years ago) where I had the chance and the privilege to open some fantastic bottles that open my eyes on the quality and the potential of these wines. Savoie’s whites (and reds) are ought to be discovered, the sooner the better and particularly during the warm season.














2008 Eugene Carrel et Fils Jongieux white Vin de Savoie France
Suggested retail price $10-$12
Distributed by Martin Scott Wines in NYC

In the glass, the robe has an ultra pale yellow-white color, almost as clear as water, with bright pale golden reflects. The nose is extremely fresh, dry and mineral with delicate scents of white flower, wet stone minerality, citrus and especially white fruit. The palate is very inviting and cleansing with a great juicy attack expanding nicely in the mid-palate with citrus, lime, unripe white peach, almost white grape fruit, flavors. The finish is super dry and refreshing, and call for another glass. Balanced by a lovely mineral touch and great acidity, this wine is the perfect summer white and a thirst quencher, particularly in very hot day. I love it. Bright and cleansing, one bottle won’t be enough if you share it during a late afternoon aperitif or even if you sip over some oysters, shellfish and grilled white fish.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken from and translated from www.directwine.fr and from a PDF document on the winery at www.rhsight.com

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