Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Bruce, Jeff, Tse Wei + Diana, Ed, Sebastien, Scott, John Paul, two more
The Savoie looks something like this on a map:
There are only 4 wine designations in Savoie:
1. Roussette de Savoie -- pure altesse, four districts
2. Seyssel -- altesse and chasselas, two districts
3. Cremant de Savoie -- fizz made from jacquere + altesse anywhere in the region
4. Vin de Savoie -- everything else, 16 districts, the biggest
Savoie is also Ground Zero for vermouth as Dolin, Comoz, Routin, and many others are made in the town of Chambery. The home base for Chartreuse is also nearby.
I've been gathering wines for weeks. The goal is to learn a little something about wines from Savoie and thereabouts (meaning Bugey and maybe Isere).
Bruce and I tasted the wines at 3pm, before anyone shows up. Thus we were able to help the newbies, of which there were several, navigate the sprawl while we re-tasted things at our leisure.
We set out cheeses, charcuterie, and spreads, knowing that folks will bring more, especially Tse Wei, who we asked to bring more. :^) And he did not disappoint, showing up with a radicchio, slices of packaged pates, and a pork/lamb pate wrapped in caul that he had just baked.
The event took place, of course, in the kitchen, everyone standing and socializing for several hours.
Starters: Blends
Eugene Carrel 2022 Vin de Savoie Rose - 80% gamay/ 20% mondeuse; pale rose, pleasant but nothing more, there is a note of resin long into the finish that reminds me of a pinot-heavy champagne
Dom. des Ardoisiere 2022 IGP Vin des Allobroges "Argile Blanc" - 40% jacquere/ 40% chardonnay/ 20% mondeuse blanche; 100% malo; yup, that's white wine all right
Chignin Bergeron a.k.a. Rousanne
Ch. de Merande 2016 "Le Grand Blanc" - 100% chignin bergeron; fresh nose, apricots and bitter citrus pith, mid-weight and rather glyceral on the palate, pronounced wax-honey-musty finish which surprised me
Louis Magnin 2014 Chignin Bergeron - oxidized and apple-y, alas
D. Berthollier 2021 Chignin Bergeron "La Coulee de Proserpine" - bright and fresh, lightweight, flavor of underripe plums and zing! which carries through to the finish, people who like Condrieu like this wine (and I do, too)
Roussette de Savoie a.k.a. Altesse
Les Cortis 2021 VdF "Naxide" - chardonny and altesse; zingy, chalky, good minerality, Loire-ish, lightweight, this is probably best on a warm day... a few days later, it's still going strong
Gonzalvez, France 2022 Roussette de Savoie "des Promesses" - 100% altesse; 11% alc!, cloudy, "natural", beautiful yellow-fruit bouquet, old lady's handkerchief, rich texture, long finish of white cherries and a little turned earth... a few days later, it has faded quite a bit
Gringet
Dom. Belluard 2020 Vin de Savoie "Cuvee Eponyme" - matchstick, juicy and intense, flavors are citrus, chicken meat, and a streak of flowers, definitely sings soprano in the chorus... a few days later, it's similar but has lost some complexity
Dom. Belluard 2015 "Pur Jus" - even more citrussy but a heavier wine, lots of flavor intensity all the way through to the finish
Dom. Belluard 2014 "Pur Jus" - the same but turned up to "wow" levels
Dom. Belluard 2015 "Le Feu" - great punchy forward nose! but there is licorice or oxidation in the mid-palate, the off-note recedes in the finish but hmm; Bruce thinks this is much less full than the Pur Jus
Dom. Belluard NV Methode Ayse "Les Perles de Mont Blanc" - sparkling; brut; Lot 0116; this is very good, high-toned but chalky and a long finish, not as full as a bubbly Chablis but more like a Loire fizzy
Famille Montessuit 2020 Terroir d'Ayze VV "Jonquille" - delicate nose with a glyceral palate, rich and intense, nice to have a non-Belluard gringet varietal to compare
Mondeuse Noire
Romain Chamiot 2021 Mondeuse - 12%; spicy, peppery, mid-weight, a little tannin but not much, drinks perhaps as if you mix gamay and syrah; I like this a lot when first opened but eventually prefer the Blard; Bruce says this drinks like Reuilly
Blard et Fils 2020 Arbin Mondeuse Noire - similar style as the Chamiot but the acidity is a little duller, the body a little thinner; but with some air this wakes up a bit and becomes well-balanced
Dom. de Chevillard 2019 Mondeuse - I bought the gamay but so it goes; I find serious brett here (saddle leather/ horse manure type), not for me
Peillot F 2016 Bugey Mondeuse - this is just beautiful, pure black fruit and some damp earth, the palate is harmonious, just great wine
Peillot F 2008 Bugey Mondeuse - Bacchus has been kind: warm berry compote with just a grating across the top of tannins and acids, I'll take a glass of this and a warm chair please... later, the middle starts to fade but there is just enough tangy acidity to hold it together
Jacquere
Somehow, despite it being the most widely-planted grape in the region, we have no wines made from it. (Remind me again which ninny did the shopping?)
I did capture some feedback from other folks. Tse Wei found both altesses short and obviously natty, the chignin-bergerons all yummy in the style of Clos de Briord or a good riesling, and the Chamiot Mondeuse to be undrinkable.
Several folks commented that they did not find the Chevillard objectionable, admired the Proserpine for its freshness, and were indifferent to the altesses. Among the gringets, the 2014 was the consensus favorite, with varied opinions on the 2015 and the Le Feu.
John Paul wrote: "Dreaming of that 2014 Pur Jus... magical stuff. I would probably have guessed Chenin in a blind setting, but when I think of it now I imagine that I've never had a dry Chenin of such intensity that was also so elegant and light-footed. I feel like dry Chenin at that level would probably have more weight and grip, and probably more honey-ish notes, but it's not like I've tried so so many great mature dry Chenins... In any case, I'd enjoyed the Belluard Gringets I'd had in the past, but tasting some with age was totally revelatory."
Am I ready now? Well... more ready, anyway.
The Savoie looks something like this on a map:
1. Roussette de Savoie -- pure altesse, four districts
2. Seyssel -- altesse and chasselas, two districts
3. Cremant de Savoie -- fizz made from jacquere + altesse anywhere in the region
4. Vin de Savoie -- everything else, 16 districts, the biggest
Savoie is also Ground Zero for vermouth as Dolin, Comoz, Routin, and many others are made in the town of Chambery. The home base for Chartreuse is also nearby.
I've been gathering wines for weeks. The goal is to learn a little something about wines from Savoie and thereabouts (meaning Bugey and maybe Isere).
Bruce and I tasted the wines at 3pm, before anyone shows up. Thus we were able to help the newbies, of which there were several, navigate the sprawl while we re-tasted things at our leisure.
We set out cheeses, charcuterie, and spreads, knowing that folks will bring more, especially Tse Wei, who we asked to bring more. :^) And he did not disappoint, showing up with a radicchio, slices of packaged pates, and a pork/lamb pate wrapped in caul that he had just baked.
The event took place, of course, in the kitchen, everyone standing and socializing for several hours.
Starters: Blends
Eugene Carrel 2022 Vin de Savoie Rose - 80% gamay/ 20% mondeuse; pale rose, pleasant but nothing more, there is a note of resin long into the finish that reminds me of a pinot-heavy champagne
Dom. des Ardoisiere 2022 IGP Vin des Allobroges "Argile Blanc" - 40% jacquere/ 40% chardonnay/ 20% mondeuse blanche; 100% malo; yup, that's white wine all right
Chignin Bergeron a.k.a. Rousanne
Ch. de Merande 2016 "Le Grand Blanc" - 100% chignin bergeron; fresh nose, apricots and bitter citrus pith, mid-weight and rather glyceral on the palate, pronounced wax-honey-musty finish which surprised me
Louis Magnin 2014 Chignin Bergeron - oxidized and apple-y, alas
D. Berthollier 2021 Chignin Bergeron "La Coulee de Proserpine" - bright and fresh, lightweight, flavor of underripe plums and zing! which carries through to the finish, people who like Condrieu like this wine (and I do, too)
Roussette de Savoie a.k.a. Altesse
Les Cortis 2021 VdF "Naxide" - chardonny and altesse; zingy, chalky, good minerality, Loire-ish, lightweight, this is probably best on a warm day... a few days later, it's still going strong
Gonzalvez, France 2022 Roussette de Savoie "des Promesses" - 100% altesse; 11% alc!, cloudy, "natural", beautiful yellow-fruit bouquet, old lady's handkerchief, rich texture, long finish of white cherries and a little turned earth... a few days later, it has faded quite a bit
Gringet
Dom. Belluard 2020 Vin de Savoie "Cuvee Eponyme" - matchstick, juicy and intense, flavors are citrus, chicken meat, and a streak of flowers, definitely sings soprano in the chorus... a few days later, it's similar but has lost some complexity
Dom. Belluard 2015 "Pur Jus" - even more citrussy but a heavier wine, lots of flavor intensity all the way through to the finish
Dom. Belluard 2014 "Pur Jus" - the same but turned up to "wow" levels
Dom. Belluard 2015 "Le Feu" - great punchy forward nose! but there is licorice or oxidation in the mid-palate, the off-note recedes in the finish but hmm; Bruce thinks this is much less full than the Pur Jus
Dom. Belluard NV Methode Ayse "Les Perles de Mont Blanc" - sparkling; brut; Lot 0116; this is very good, high-toned but chalky and a long finish, not as full as a bubbly Chablis but more like a Loire fizzy
Famille Montessuit 2020 Terroir d'Ayze VV "Jonquille" - delicate nose with a glyceral palate, rich and intense, nice to have a non-Belluard gringet varietal to compare
Mondeuse Noire
Romain Chamiot 2021 Mondeuse - 12%; spicy, peppery, mid-weight, a little tannin but not much, drinks perhaps as if you mix gamay and syrah; I like this a lot when first opened but eventually prefer the Blard; Bruce says this drinks like Reuilly
Blard et Fils 2020 Arbin Mondeuse Noire - similar style as the Chamiot but the acidity is a little duller, the body a little thinner; but with some air this wakes up a bit and becomes well-balanced
Dom. de Chevillard 2019 Mondeuse - I bought the gamay but so it goes; I find serious brett here (saddle leather/ horse manure type), not for me
Peillot F 2016 Bugey Mondeuse - this is just beautiful, pure black fruit and some damp earth, the palate is harmonious, just great wine
Peillot F 2008 Bugey Mondeuse - Bacchus has been kind: warm berry compote with just a grating across the top of tannins and acids, I'll take a glass of this and a warm chair please... later, the middle starts to fade but there is just enough tangy acidity to hold it together
Jacquere
Somehow, despite it being the most widely-planted grape in the region, we have no wines made from it. (Remind me again which ninny did the shopping?)
I did capture some feedback from other folks. Tse Wei found both altesses short and obviously natty, the chignin-bergerons all yummy in the style of Clos de Briord or a good riesling, and the Chamiot Mondeuse to be undrinkable.
Several folks commented that they did not find the Chevillard objectionable, admired the Proserpine for its freshness, and were indifferent to the altesses. Among the gringets, the 2014 was the consensus favorite, with varied opinions on the 2015 and the Le Feu.
John Paul wrote: "Dreaming of that 2014 Pur Jus... magical stuff. I would probably have guessed Chenin in a blind setting, but when I think of it now I imagine that I've never had a dry Chenin of such intensity that was also so elegant and light-footed. I feel like dry Chenin at that level would probably have more weight and grip, and probably more honey-ish notes, but it's not like I've tried so so many great mature dry Chenins... In any case, I'd enjoyed the Belluard Gringets I'd had in the past, but tasting some with age was totally revelatory."
Am I ready now? Well... more ready, anyway.
