Tag: Jacquere

Single Bottle Review

White Gold From Savoie

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The spotlight has been shining on Savoie* wine since Wink Lorch published her authoritative book Wines Of The French Alps (available to buy directly from Wink here and check out David Crossley’s review here) in July 2019.  The area is on France’s eastern borders with Italy and Switzerland – and in fact only became a permanent part of France in 1860 when it was ceded by Italy under the Treaty of Turin.

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Map of main French wine areas.  Savoie is on France’s eastern border. Credit: DalGobboM

Savoie is actually further north than you might think** – in the outline map above it is level with Cognac – and given its Alpine elevation it is distinctly cool.  The main grape varieties of the area are Altesse (aka Roussette), Gringet, Jacquère, Mondeuse and Roussanne (aka Bergeron), with all but Roussanne being indigenous.  In the more frost prone areas only local varieties are hardy enough, and the long growing season brings out their aromatic qualities.

Fabien Trosset comes from a well-established winemaking family with a speciality for Mondeuse, the key red variety of Savoie.  He and his partner Chloé took over some family vineyards in 2011 and added more from another branch in 2013, taking their total to 16 hectares.  The soils are either limestone or clay and the aspect is generally south-facing.  The vines are up to 90 years old for some of the Mondeuse plots, 30 for their Altesse and 15 for Roussanne.  The wine featured below is made from Jacquère which doesn’t even feature on their website or in Wink’s book, so I’m assuming it’s a very new addition!

Domaine Trosset Savoie “Or Blanc” 2018

Domaine Trosset Or Blanc

“Or Blanc” translates as “white gold”, and this seems to be a fitting moniker as the wine is made from 100% Jacquère, the most important white grape in Savoie.  The vineyards are at an altitude of 600 metres above sea-level – higher than any Alsace Grand Cru sites, as a comparison.  This is a wine which could be pictured in the dictionary for the definition of “freshness”: a chalky minerality dominates, with crisp acidity and gentle garden herbs.  There is fruit too in the form of a racy lime streak

A dry wine at just 11.0% is very rare these days, but it doesn’t feel diminished in any way.  This is a delicious, interesting wine that deserves to be better known.  I’m looking forward to trying some more of Fabien and Chloé’s wines in the future.

 

*The area is usually anglicised as Savoy, but I just prefer the French version.

**Well, it’s further north than I thought!

Tasting Events

To SPIT or not to SPIT (Part 2 – Nomad)

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nomad

While WineMason’s specialities are Portugal, Austria, Germany and South Africa, Nomad is a Burgundy specialist outfit.  Of course, the range has seen additions from other regions – particularly in France – but Burgundy is still at the heart of the portfolio.  As with all of the SPIT crew, Nomad’s wines are generally from small producers who practise sustainable, organic or biodynamic viticulture, but they remain fairly conventional – though excellent – in taste.

Here are five of Nomad’s best that caught my eye at SPIT.

Leclerc Briant Champagne Brut Reserve NV (12.0%, RRP €62.00 at SIYPS; 64 Wine, Glasthule & Green Man Wines, Terenure)

leclerc briant brut reserve

Leclerc Briant was the first organic and biodynamic producer in Champagne – no mean feat when the cool and sometimes damp climate is taken into account.  They are based in the Vallée de la Marne where Pinot Meunier is most at home, and it shows in the blend: 65% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay.

30 months on the lees (double the minimum requirements for a non vintage Champagne) softens out the wine somewhat, meaning that a low dosage of 4g/L is all that’s required.  The Pinot(s) dominance really comes through in the red fruits flavour profile – raspberry, redcurrant and cranberry.  A lively, clean and refreshing Champagne!

Domaine des Ardoisieres Vin des Allobroges-Cevins “Schiste” 2015 (12.0%, RRP €51.00 at SIYPS, Martins Off-Licence, Fairview & Whelehan’s Wines, Loughlinstown)

domaine des ardoisieres schiste

If Tolkein’s Dwarves drank a wine, it would be from Savoie, made in the shadow of Mont Blanc.  Like the other wines in Brice Omont’s biodynamic range, Schiste is labelled after the soil type on which it is grown.  The grapes are a mix of the fairly well-known and the almost unknown: 40% Jacquère, 30% Roussanne, 20% Malvasia and 10% Mondeuse.

My Tolkein reference might be far-fetched, but there is definitely something other-worldly about this wine.  It somehow manages to combine butter and sweet stone fruits with zippy citrus, and has a very long, soothing finish.  A remarkable wine!

Domaine JB Ponsot Rully “En Bas de Vauvry” 2016 (13.0%, RRP €29.90 at SIYPS, Green Man Wines, Terenure, Whelehan’s Wines, Loughlinstown)

jean-baptiste ponsot rully

As vineyard and grape prices have rocketed in Burgundy’s heartland of the Côte d’Or, many producers have been looking further south to the Maconnais where costs are much lower, but the astute have also been investing in the Côte Chalonnaise which lies in between the two.  Rully is my favourite village from the Chalonnaise, and in good hands can produce some seriously good wine.

BOOM!!  This is one of the best wines I tasted in the last twelve months*.

I’ve enjoyed previous vintages of Ponsot’s Rully, but this is easily my favourite yet.  It has a mesmerising nose of pear and peach; they follow through onto the palate and are joined by apricot, apple and a hint of citrus.  It’s soft, gently oaked and obviously young, but drinking so well at the moment.  Decant it or use a big glass – you won’t rue your choice!**

Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Puligny Montrachet 2016 (13.0%, RRP €79.00 at SIYPS and Martins Off-Licence, Fairview)

bachelet-monnot puligny-montrachet

After the exuberance of the Rully, we now take a step back to enjoy the power and elegance of an excellent Puligny-Montrachet.  There are some obvious oak notes on the nose, smoky and leesy, with soft pip fruit and citrus on the palate.  It’s still quite tight – probably a criminal offense to drink right now – but if I had a few bottles I would take the risk and enjoy!

Domaine Audoin Marsannay Cuvée Marie Ragonneau 2015 (13.0%, RRP €42.00 at SIYPS and 64 Wine, Glasthule)

domaine audoin marsannay cuvee marie ragonneau

Marsannay is the most northerly village-level appellation in the Côte de Nuits, extending almost into Dijon itself, and the most recent as it was created in 1987.  It is also the only Burgundy village appellation which can produce the trio of red, white and rosé wines.

Domaine Audoin’s Marsannay is somewhat serious and savoury, but what a wine!  A complex melange of red and black fruit, plenty of acidity and fine tannins.  It might sound strange to the average wine drinker, but this €40+ Burgundy is great value for money!

 

The SPIT series:

 

* Actual tasting note includes the sentence “F*cking hell, that’s a bit of all right, innit?” Perhaps my notes were scribbled on by a passing cockney…

** Sorry

Opinion, Tasting Events

I Wanna Give You Devotion – Part 1

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Dublin based Nomad Wine Importers was set up ten years ago by Sommeliers Charles Derain and Thierry Grillet, and now has an enviable reputation for sourcing exciting wines from all over France, with Burgundy being a particular speciality.  Here are a few of their wines which impressed me at their recent trade tasting co-hosted with Grapecircus and Tyrrell’s:

Domaine des Ardoisières IGP Allobroges “Argile” 2015 (12.0%, RRP €28 at Mitchell & Son (Glasthule & CHQ), Blackrock Cellar, Redmonds of Ranelagh, Green Man Wines, Martin’s Off-Licence and SIYPS)

blanc_argile2

The Alpine territory of Savoy (or Savoie) has been variously a county, then an independent duchy, a part of the Kingdom of Sardinia and then the French Empire. Partly due to its remote location there are several local varieties which are seldom seen elsewhere.

Aside from the AOCs such as Chignin Bergeron (Rousanne), Chignin and Roussette de Savoie, there is also the IGP (formerly Vin de Pays) des Allobroges named after the area’s original Celtic inhabitants The Allobroges.

Domaine des Ardoisières was founded relatively recently in 2005 and is run on organic principles.  Slopes of up to 60% might sound better for daredevil skiing than for viticulture, but the extra sun falling on the vines offsets the cooler air at higher altitude. The wines are mainly made from local grapes and are named after the soil types of the individual plots (very interesting for wine geeks!)

Argile is the French for clay; the blend consists of local heroes Jacquère (40%) and Mondeuse Blanche (20%) plus the ubiquitous Chardonnay (40%).  Fermentation is with wild yeast and maturation is a third in older oak barrels (for texture) and two thirds in steel tanks

It’s a fleshy wine, with zingy acidity and a very long finish.  It’s quite unique as a wine and deserves a far wider audience – though production is limited to around 20,000 bottles which won’t stretch that far.

Domaine Tissot Arbois “Les Graviers” 2015 (13.0%, RRP €47 at Baggot Street Wines, Jus de Vine, 64 Wine, Green Man Wines and SIYPS)

graviers2

From the Alps we move north to the Jura, still mountainous border country but with its own local specialities – particularly the use of flor in some of the wine styles to ramp up the umami.  It’s not always obvious whether a particular wine is flor-influenced or not – it all comes down to whether the barrels that the wine matures in are topped up (or not) to replace evaporation losses – if they aren’t then a flor will often form.  To make sure you get the style you prefer, ask if the wine is “ouillé“.

As befitting a region next to Burgundy, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are well established varieties, with Savagnin (aka Traminer, not Sauvignon) also used for white wine and Poulsard and Trousseau (also known as Bastardo in Portugal) used for reds and rosés. Poulsard is so pale that Pinot Noir is sometimes blended in to add colour!

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Credit: DalGobboM

The oldest Jura appellation is Arbois, not to be confused with the grape of the same name which is mainly found in the Loire Valley.  This is the home of Domaine André & Mireille Tissot, now run by Bénédicte & Stéphane Tissot.  They run the estate on biodynamic lines and are certified as such.

Les Graviers is 100% Chardonnay, a third of which was matured in oak barrels and two thirds in tank.  As the wine is young the oak is quite noticeable, but it’s already drinking superbly – one of my favourite wines from the whole tasting.  It has texture, pithiness and freshness, with a certain tang that I haven’t tasted outside of the Jura.  A must-try wine!

 

Footnote

If you are a keen wine drinker you may have heard of Wink Lorch’s excellent book Jura Wine which was published in 2014 after Kickstarter crowd funding.  Wink has recently started another Kickstarter campaign to fund production of her next book on Savoie Wine – have a look here!