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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2009 Eugène Carrel et Fils Roussette de Savoie Altesse France

Eugène Carrel et Fils Roussette de Savoie Altesse France

I know, I already wrote quite a few posts about Savoie and its wines, more especially the whites, over the last few weeks; but I couldn’t resist writing another post about it after tasting the following wine.

In a previous post about Eugène Carrel et Fils (read it at www.ledomduvin.com/2009/07/2008-eugene-carrel-et-fils-jongieux.html), I wrote about their Jacquère that I really enjoyed and which rapidly became one of the benchmarks of the store for its quality/price ratio and its exquisitely charming and thirst quenching attitude.

Boasting enhancing acidity and crispy minerality in a delicate, elegant and almost pure way, like drinking the icy water of a mountain spring, the Jacquère from Eugène Carrel et Fils is surely one of the best contenders, in my opinion, for this summer most successful white in the store (once again, it already happened last year in July 2009).

I love it so much that I couldn’t spend another Spring-Summer without it and decided to order it again. About 4-5 weeks ago, we ordered a few cases and they were gone so fast that I needed to reorder it immediately. However, to my surprise and after waiting patiently for about a week, we still hadn’t received the 2nd order. The wine wasn’t available. The importer was waiting for another container still at sea.

How could they do that to me? My customers were harassing me nearly every other day about it: so, did it arrive yet? You’re out of this wine that you suggested me the other day? What to do? What to answer? They were almost striking in front of the store with billboards and slogans… What could go worst?

As one thing always come with another, what shouldn’t have happen… happened (sigh):

A few weeks earlier before we sold the last bottles, my boss, who is also in charge of counseling recently engaged customers about wines and spirits for their wedding (on appointment only, talk to Matthew at www.HeightsChateau.com), had open a bottle of Jacquère from Eugène Carrel et Fils and suggested it to some customers for their wedding. They liked it so much that we had to order it for them (and for the store of course). And you know what… Murphy’s law! That’s what!

Their wedding weekend was pointing on the horizon and we were waiting for the arrival of the wine with great anticipation the week just before the wedding week. Our sale rep. (from the distributor) let us know that the wine was still at sea and would not be here on time… Aïe! Aïe! Aïe! (Que fallait-il faire ou dire pour avoir ce vin?…de quoi en perdre son Latin).

However, we are survivor and a solution had to be found ASAP! We could have suggested another wine from Savoie, but the ones that we had in the store at the time were great but more expensive and slightly different in taste; and the customers were counting on us with that wine.

Our sales rep. from the distributor told us that he had a few cases left of a “Roussette de Savoie” from the same producer that was worth trying and suggesting instead of the greatly awaited Jacquère.

FYI: “Roussette de Savoie” is an “Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée” (AOC) for white wine produced mainly in the western part of Savoie wine region, in France. “Roussette de Savoie” is usually and mainly crafted with the eponymous Roussette grapes (also called “Altesse”) sometimes blended 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 microclimates, producing greater, even age worthy, wines.

Well, we didn’t think twice, if Carrel could craft such a great Jacquère, his “Roussette de Savoie” would surely make a great substitute. So we ordered it.

As I always say: “Every wine deserve to be tasted! Even if every wine doesn’t deserve to be drunk!” So, by curiosity and especially eager to find a replacement for the missing wine for the wedding of our customers, we tried it…




2009 Eugène Carrel Roussette de Savoie Altesse France
Suggested retail price $13-$16
Distributed by Martin Scott Wines in NYC

Wow! What a nice surprise! This wine was a fuller and even more food friendlier version than its sibling Jacquère.

To compare it (even if not the same grape I know), in the glass, the robe of the Roussette is slightly deeper, yet still pale yellow-white color, with bright pale golden reflects, although not as translucent. The nose expresses similar notes with lot more minerals, white and yellow fruits aromas. It is also fresh and crisp with delicate scents of white flower, wet stone minerality, citrus and especially white fruit. The palate is very inviting, cleansing and very well rounded. It expands nicely in the mid-palate with a gentle way of coating the entire palate with even more minerals and white-yellow stone fruit. The soft and lingering finish is refreshing and extremely satisfying, and definitely calls for another glass.

Greatly enhanced by a lovely mineral touch and great acidity, this high elevation vineyards’ Roussette, like the Jacquère, is an anticipated summer white and as much a food complement as a thirst quencher, particularly in very hot day. I love it too.

Although not as bright, light and crisp as the Jacquère, as it shouldn’t be anyway, this Roussette de Savoie is rather supple, rounded, mineral and refined. Yet one thing in common with the Jacquère, is that 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. Due to its deeper and more complex feel, this Roussette should be paired with more complex dishes like fish in sauce, poultry, chicken and even veal or pork.

Thanks to the all team at Eugène Carrel et Fils for making such great wine (once again)!

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

For more info about this winery read my previous post on Eugène Carrel et fils at (www.ledomduvin.com/2009/07/2008-eugene-carrel-et-fils-jongieux.html)


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

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.

2008 Domaine Gilles Berlioz Chignin White Savoie Wine France

2008 Domaine Gilles Berlioz Chignin Vin de Savoie (White Savoie Wine) France

Here we go, I'm back for more writing after a little break. So, following my previous post on Cellier du Palais, another producer from Savoie, here is a post on Gilles Berlioz, another one of these irreductible Savoyard producers and one of the benchmarks on the Chignin appellation.

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.

FYI: The region of "Les Abymes" has been scarred in 1248 when a part of the Mont Grenier felt apart in the valley below, crushing houses and villages and burying villagers at the foot of the mountain. The mass of crumbled rocks from this event has formed a rocky chaos of multiple small rocky talus named “Abymes de Myans”, creating a ground of predilection for wine growing where the crus of Abymes and Apremont have been produced (since then) from vines planted on iron-rich soils, a positive result to this geological catastrophe.

However, let's back to the other side of the valley, a few kilometers east, in the village of Chignin, with our producer of the day: Gilles Berlioz.

Chignin's vineyards are planted on chalky scree-covered soils of the south-west facing slopes of the Montgelas Summit's foothills. Mostly protected from cold winds of the north by the background mountain and benefiting of great sun exposure and excellent drainage, Chignin's vineyards produce some of Savoie's best wines, including Savoie's pride, the rare Chignin-Bergeron: a highly perfumed and intriguing white, made exclusively with a Rhône valley's grape called Roussanne, produced in minuscule quantity, surely responsible for the fame of the region.

Gilles Berlioz: In 1990, Gilles, the son of a local agricultor, inherited of a small family vineyard of 0.8 hectare (about 2 acres). At the time, he was working as a landscape designer in a local firm and, due to his job, was already fond of ground's geology and topography. Very well acquainted of working the soils and modeling landscapes, he gradually learned about vine-growing and winemaking and became more involved with his little plot of land. Cultivating real enthusiasm for wine, he acquired further small plots of land within Chignin and expanded his vineyards to 3.5 hectares. Shortly after, he decided to drop conventional cultivation methods in favor of 100% organic agriculture with Biodynamic touches here and there (in France we call that "Lutte Raisonnée" or sustainable culture with a twist).

By choice but also due to their fairly small size, Gilles takes care of his vineyards himself all year long. He attend them every day like a careful, attentionate and devoted father: plowing the ground, hand weeding the bad weeds, pruning, cutting, de-leafing, and treating them with plant based concoctions. Also by choice and despite his low amount of vineyards, Gilles aims for quality rather than quantity, with a production of about 30 hectoliters per hectare, which is low compared to the average 70 hectoliters per hectare of certain properties.

Remember that, not long ago (40 years at the most), wines from Chignin (like many other wines in France) were overproduced and not very interesting, or lets say, not as good, expressive and clean as they are now. They were mainly drunk in winter by the locals with stew, ragout and more especially cheese "Raclette" and meat "Fondue", and things haven't changed much since then, about 80% of most Savoie wines are still consumed locally (including a tiny amount nationally), the other 20% are exported in the major markets but they remain somewhat quite marginal.

Raclette: A winter favorites of mine, traditional Raclette is made with melted semi-firm, salted cheese made from Cow's milk. However, varieties made with white wine, pepper, herbs, or smoked cheese also exist. The raclette cheese of choice originates from the Swiss canton of Valais but it is now also produced in the Savoie and Franche-Comté region. The crisp, bright, vivid and extremely mineral whites from Savoie's high elevation vineyards have great acidity to cut through the cheese's fat and complement this friendly and family gathering dish.

Meat Fondue: Also for the same "fatty" and earthy, wintery causes, Chignin and more generally Savoie's whites (and reds too) are great with meat "Fondue(s)". Meat fondue, also known as oil fondue, consists of cooking all kinds of meats, poultry, and seafood in a pot of heated oil. Each person participating in a fondue experience, cooks his/her own piece of meat by placing a small portion or chunk at the end of a long fondue fork and placing it inside the pot of oil to cook. When the meat is cooked to ideal "cuisson" in the oil, each person can then dip each piece of cooked meat into previously prepared sauces. Meat fondue recipes can also be prepared as "broth fondue", by replacing the oil with your favorite broth: chicken, vegetable, or beef to name the most well known.

Vinification: After being carefully hand harvested, the grapes are slowly pressed (between 4 and 6 hours) and the fermentation process occurs naturally with no addition of extra added cultured yeast, sugar or acid. Gilles matures his wines for about 9 months in fiber-glass vats, and used or neutral oak barrels. Following the prescriptions of the lunar calendar, bottling takes place in the beginning of summer, then the bottles are stored to rest for one year before being sold.

Production: Gilles Berlioz crafts 4 wines in super tiny quantities: 3 whites made respectively with Jacquères, Altesse (also known as Roussette) and Roussanne (Also known locally as Bergeron) for his Chignin-Bergeron; and 1 red made with Mondeuse from vines recently planted (2008 was the first vintage).

All of Berlioz' wines have tremendous Terroir characteristics and helped to put back Chignin on the map of the serious wines from France. Moreover, his name is not Quénard, and no offense to anyone, but it is nice to see that there are other producers in Chignin than the Quénard families and relatives (FYI: Quénard in Chigin are like the Smith in New York).

To better understand about the "Quénard", see the following pictures taken from the website of Charles Neal Selections, an established and estimated importer of fine wines and spirits from lesser known French regions, based in California.

"Trying to find the right Quenard in Chignin can be difficult." (courtesy of Charles Neal)

After this little parentheses, here is the description of our wine of the day:

2008 Domaine Gilles Berlioz Chignin Vin de Savoie (White Savoie Wine) France
Suggested retail price $16-$19
Imported / Distributed by Moonlight Wine co. in NYC

First, I need to say that "Gilles Berlioz Chignin" has been one of my favorite wines this summer since last June, with "Eugene Carrel Jongieux" and "Cellier du Palais Mondeuse" (and a few more).

Secondly, I feel that it is important to precise and establish the fact that although Savoyard wines are often enjoyed during winter months with Raclette and meat Fondue, I personally think that due to their high acidity and minerality, and light overall profile, they make perfect summer whites.

Made with 100% Jacquère, the 2008 Gilles Berlioz Chignin exposes a pale golden color in the glass. The nose is fresh and slightly nutty, with white flowers, white peach and fresh almond on the nose. The palate is fresh, rich and quite silky, with very good acidity and balance, gradually expanding toward a lingering finish with unripe apricot skin and almond flavors. This versatile will be great as an aperitif, perfect with Raclette and Fondue, but will also nicely complement sheep and goats cheese, as well as shell fish and river fish.

For a small production, low yield, organic white wine, held for a year after bottling to reach ideal condition before being sold and with only a few cases reaching the US market, it is definitely a great value to discover. Moreover, demand may, with time, increase the price, but for now it remains a real bargain under $20.

Enjoy!

LeDom du Vin

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2007 Le Cellier du Palais Mondeuse Vin de Pays d'Allobrogie Savoie France

2007 Le Cellier du Palais Mondeuse Vin de Pays d'Allobrogie Savoie France (Rene & Beatrice Bernard)

At the foot of the majestic Mount Granier, nestled in a beautiful landscape of vineyards and mountains in the Savoie region, the "Cellier du Palais" (meaning the palace's cellar) has been the property of the Bernard family since 1700.

Cellier du Palais combines traditionalism with modernism, making traditional wines, characteristic from their region of origin, with state of the art technology. The domain is run by René Bernard and his daughter Béatrice. It is situated in the southeastern part of the valley of Chambéry, the historical capital the Savoie region, in the village of Apremont which the wine capital of Savoie by excellence.

Located just south of Chambery, Apremont is a named Cru (like Jongieux, etc...) from the village of the same, whose name may be added to the appellation "Vin de Savoie". The wines are typically light, dry and mineral, predominantely whites made from the local Jacquere grape. Some reds are also produced with the local Mondeuse red grape variety.

With a little more than 200 hectares of vineyards and a rich wine-producing heritage, the vineyard of Apremont is the symbol of the village which has shaped its landscape and its land around this ancestral culture.

The vineyard of Apremont is situated on the east slope of the mountain Joigny which falls northward in the direction of the transverse valley of Chambéry. The main element of the soil is constituted of very thick white limestone on the surface. This white limestone constitutes the base of the Cretaceous period and contains fossils. Above this limestone is the black soil rich in humus, the thickness of which varies according to the plots of land. This ground is a mixture of humus, marl and deposits from former moraine glacial periods; we can also find pebbles brought by former glaciers. The vines found in this predominantly chalky and pebbly ground their favourite type of soil. The resulting produced wines express the minerality and the complexity of the soil, marked by a beautiful, refreshing and balancing acidity.

Cellier du Palais posseses 7 hectares of vines planted on slope facing east. The vines grow in a landscape bathed by morning and early afternoon sun alongside cherry trees, almond trees and fig trees. It has allowed the cicadas to settle on our slope.

Tyhe work in the vineyard continues in the respect of traditions. They strike a balance in an environmental concern to protect the vineyard and the surrounding environment. They encourage digging and ploughing to enhance the bacterial life of the soil and the rooting of the vines. They thin out the bunches of grapes and the leaves and prune the vines well back to maximize the yield.

2007 Le Cellier du Palais Mondeuse Vin de Pays d'Allobrogie Savoie France (Rene & Beatrice Bernard)

Suggested retail price $18-$21
Distributed by Metropolis wine Merchant in NYC

This Mondeuse is kept for one year in a vat and in a barrel before being bottled. The aroma is of red fruits and spices, characteristics of this typical Savoy vine. It will keep well for another 4-5 years.

The 2007 Le Cellier du Palais Mondeuse has a bright red ruby color with light purple hue. The nose is earthy, a touch smoky, hints of green tobacco leaf, with discreet yet distinct red and dark berry aromas, cassis, blackberry, mixed with floral notes of violette, roses and cloves. The palate is lovely, quite bright and juicy with great vivid acidity. The mouthfeel is delicate and fairly rounded, with excellent ripeness, ripe dark berries flavors with hints of spice and superbe balance. The finish is long, earthy, slightly raw, bit rustic and angular but in a good way.

Overall the palate is really focus and expanding in a pleasurable juicy and harmonious way. Very fresh and cleansing with an underlining touch of rusticity. Not your everyday wine, but definitely a must try food friendly wine. I love it.

Enjoy,

LeDom du Vin

Info partly taken from the winery website at www.lecellierdupalais.com

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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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