Jacquère
75cl * 12% ABV * Vegan & Organic * AOP Vin de Savoie, France
The Berthollier brothers, Denis & Didier, have been producing organic, terroir-driven wines in the village of Chignon (pronounced 'shee-na') since the 1990s.
One of 16 Crus in the Savoie district, Chignin is on the foothills of the Alps, roughly 30 miles southwest of Mont Blanc, and consists of rocky, sun-drenched south-facing slopes that provide ideal conditions for ripening grapes in a cooler area.
The Bertholliers are trying to raise Savoie’s (pronounced “Sav-wah”) reputation beyond simple “French ski-chalet wines”, and are pushing boundaries by going biodynamic in the vineyards and natural (sulphur free) in the winery. They even follow the lunar calendar and only bottle/rack in June and September.
This wine comes from 50-year-old vines of Jacquère, a local grape varietal that makes half of the wines of Savoie. But there isn't a lot of it about; Savoie accounts for just 0.5% of French wine!
Like many natural (sulphur free) wines, this has aromas of Tarte Tatin and windfall apples from mild oxidation, with some lovely underlying lemon-citrus notes, white flowers and stone fruits. The clay-limestone soils also lend freshness and minerality. Unusually for crisp dry whites, they have great aging potential.
Perfect with melted cheese in any format (be it tartiflette, fondue or raclette), as well as with smoked fish, fish and chips, or sushi. Drink now to 2035.