Had a really nice Marestel Roussette from Carrel Francois et Fils off a basic restaurant list last night. Heading to a proper wine store soon to pick out something a notch up. Thanks for your recommendations!
Dupasquier’s Marestel bottlings can be stunning when they are given enough age (+10 to 15 years). Here’s a tasting report on our vertical of the wines.
Both Roussette (Altesse) and Bergeron (Roussanne) are some of the best white varieties grown in Savoie, although sometimes Bergerons can get a tad too heavy. Gringet can make some delightful whites from the lighter end of the spectrum.
Persan and Mondeuse are among my favorite red varieties. Mondeuse can be a bit thin and eye-wateringly tart at times and Persan can make somewhat blocky, tannic wines, but in deft hands both varieties make superb wines that can age graciously for a decade or two.
Apart from Dupasquier, some producers worthwhile checking out are Les Fils de Rene Quenard, Gilles Berlioz, Franck Peillot, Domaine Saint Germain, Ardoisières and of course any wines from the late Dominique Belluard.
7 Likes
1 Like
Ludovic Archer is a new guy in town.
(One we sell…)
2 Likes
Thanks much to all of you for the super quick responses! I love Mondeuse, but am planning on sticking with white today due to food pairing.
1 Like
+1 on these producers. Love the Piellot Mondeuse.
1 Like
Peillot makes also riveting Altesses!
2 Likes
True, but there are plenty of other Altesse that I love. Not so many Mondeuse.
1 Like
Oh, righty. I haven’t had the same problem - Mondeuse is right up my alley as a red variety! As long as the producer doesn’t try to make the variety into something it isn’t, I tend to be happy with the wines.
Berlioz great if you can find it.
I feel like they stopped exporting to US at one point.
if you are in Europe maybe different
2 Likes
In my picture there is a wine from Prieuré Saint Christophe. Giachino took over the this legendary winery with the 2015 vintage. They make a Mondeuse and an Altesse under this label. It is now their top wines and both are very good.
But the wines under the Giachino label are also very affordable good wines that are a great introduction into the different grapes
1 Like
I’ve enjoyed Domaine Louis Magnin Vin de Savoie Arbin Tout un Monde (Mondeuse) for several years. Currently drinking the 2013.
1 Like
At ~$20, I thought the 2020 Romain Chamiot - Vin de Savoie (Mondeuse) was a great QPR.
1 Like
It’s been too long since my last sip but I’ve been into the region’s wines for close to a decade.
Haven’t had it in years but Franck Peillot’s Bugey-Montagnieu Brut used to be incredible value as far as sparkling wines go.
For Altesse I have enjoyed Château La Mar’s different bottlings from the prized Marestel vineyard a lot. The Mondeuse was good as well if a bit oaky. Another nice Altesse albeit in a very different style was the Domaine des Côtes Rousses ’Ensemble’.
I’ve had a couple of good whites from Denis & Didier Berthollier, however the most recent Chignin-Bergeron Les Salins was a bit too much at 15%. The same appellation’s ’Exception’ bottling at 12.5% on the other hand was really superb.
In general Savoyard reds are not my favorite things but have liked J-P & J-F Quenard’s 100% Persan and aforementioned Ardoisieres’s Argile blend, both which are relatively low alc but have more body than most reds in the region.
I find Jacquère very useful if rarely profound. A few nice ones have been Blard & Fils Apremont Anno Domini 1248, Domaine Dupraz Apremont Montracul and Jean Masson Apremont La Bise. The latter seems to be somewhat of a Jacquère specialist with a wide range of bottlings and I look forward to trying more of the higher end ones.
1 Like
100% this. I loved his Grignet bubblies. I have not kept up–who runs the winery now?
2 Likes
There are only 22ha of the Gringet grape variety left in the world, and 9.5 of them were owned by Dominique Belluard, the late Savoie producer. Before his death in 2020, Belluard developed the rare Gringet grape from something producers would just chuck into blends, to bonafide, standalone, single-varietal wines.
In the absence of a successor, his wife, Valerie Belluard, sold the estate to a young winemaker, Vincent Ruiz, who had been working for renowned Rhone Valley producer Franck Balthazar.
2 Likes
And even less of Persan, or at least that was true 10 years ago. I don’t know if more has been planted since.
“Moving forward, Ruiz and Balthazar plan to reduce the yields and discontinue the sparkling to solely focus on the terroir-specific expression of Gringet.”
That makes my remaining bottles extra extra special.
I went with Altesse, the ‘Zulime’ Roussette from Adrien (not Gilles) Berlioz in Chignin. Pours a golden color, with a floral nose. Light footed and with a modest 12% ABV, this is a powerful wine nonetheless. Citrus and apple on the palate, with robust acidity and a long, chalky finish. It had a hint of effervescence initially, which added to the feel of a richer champagne. Great with seafood. Biodynamically farmed.
Not a lot of Dupasquier around actually. I passed on a 2016 Marestel which was only available in magnum. Maybe I should have gone big here 
1 Like
I really like the 2021 Argile Rouge from Domaine des Ardoisières. It is made from Gamay and only has 11 percent alcohol.
1 Like