New Bounty in Eastern France!
5/27/14 -
(The view of Mont Blanc from Ardoisières vineyards.)
Has this ever happened to you? You visit a wine bar in a foreign city (in this case Avignon); you order something interesting off the list that you’ve never seen before (in this case a white wine from the Savoie, because you’d like a break from the full-bodied reds of the south); you like the white so much that for your next bottle you select the mystery Domaine’s red wine, which is fully as delicious as the white. Upon your return home, you seek out these wines, only to find that they are virtually unheard of in your native land. The quest continues for several years, and then one day (miraculously) the wines turn up!
Needless to say this is an autobiographical rendering of our experience with the wines of Domaine des Ardoisières. This estate of 17 hectares of very steep slopes comprises two vineyards: Cevins and Saint Pierre de Soucy above the town of Freterive. These are ancient plots that were, in a sense, rescued by a group of local enthusiasts (including Savoie winemaking legend Michel Grisard), who began to replant them in 1998. Now the Domaine is under the directorship of the talented Brice Omont, who began working with Grisard in 2005. Geographically, Freterive is due east of Lyon, and due south of Geneva, in the southern part of the Savoie, with an arresting view of Mont Blanc. The soils here are clay, limestone, and schist, giving the wines pronounced minerality, a lovely complement to their freshness and crunchy acidity on the palate. Perhaps a winemaking homage to Grisard, who uses a fair amount of wood in the cellar – or merely a stylistic preference – the wines see some barrel maturation, with stunning results. It's true that we've been on a bit of Savoie kick recently, and these wines are an exciting addition to our collection.
We’d like to take the opportunity to draw your attention to a few additional new arrivals from the Savoie and the Jura (not that these regions have anything to do with one another, as a recent trip to both regions reinforced) as well as the return after a long hiatus, of several old favorites: Magnin, Belluard, Bornard, Puffeney, Bodines, Tissot's Crémant Indigène Rosé, and more! Please see the complete list below. Santé! -Sophie
