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Wines from the French Alps
Savoie
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Vineyards in the French Alps probably seems like a novelty or
after-thought today to many wine drinkers. Though it's long been on the
map, the Savoie region is well below the radar of most wine drinkers,
particularly those here in California.
But historians can cite with precision many references to wine growing in the
Alps and the region's prominence at various times over the past several hundred
years.
 The
scourge of the phylloxera root louse took its toll on the Savoie region in the
1870s and 1880s. Mildew then plagued the region followed by World War
I. Of course, one can imagine working mountainous vineyards is more
labor-intensive than valley floor sites and this didn't help the situation in
the Alps.
As I understand it, vineyard lands were reduced during World War II as well, but
this situation is reversing itself and vineyards in the area are expanding!
The major cities in the region are Annency and Aix-les-Bains, along with the
famous vermouth center, Chambery.
The wines of the region tend to be rather light and delicate, as one might
expect of fairly cool-climate sites.
The predominant white grape is the Jacquère, which accounts for more than half
the white wine vineyards. You'll also find varieties such as Chasselas, a
major grape in nearby Swiss vineyards. Altesse is another grape found in
the region and it's sometimes called Roussette just to keep you guessing.
Chardonnay is sometimes found here, as is Aligoté. Roussanne, from the Rhône
Valley, is not uncommon.
As for red wines, you'll find Gamay has arrived from nearby Beaujolais.
Pinot Noir is a bit of a rarity, but it can be found if you look hard
enough. Mondeuse has been the "big" red of the region, both in
terms of acreage planted and the body of its wines. ***********
BUGEY  Bugey
is another unknown wine region in France. It's located on the lower slopes
of the Jura region.
The main red grapes are Poulsard (from the Jura), as well as Mondeuse, Pinot
Noir and Gamay. Whites include Jacquère, Altesse, Chardonnay, Aligoté
and a really obscure grape called Molette.
BERNARD RONDEAU
 When our
friend and wine importer Charles Neal mentioned bringing over a curious
wine from the French Alps that was bubbly like an Italian spumante and
sweet and pink we figured the poor fellow was "one bottle shy of a
full case."
This is a most frivolous bottle of wine...it's made in a region well east
of Lyon in the Alps but in a locale that's neither the Jura nor the
Savoie. We trekked there this past winter and found ourselves pretty
much in France's version of the "middle of nowhere."
Cell phones don't work there and the few souls who inhabit this landscape
must be hermits, for when we asked various folks where the winery of
Bernard Rondeau was located, virtually nobody had heard of the fellow!
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Rondeau has tanks similar to those we see in Italy's Piemonte at wineries
producing Moscato d'Asti. He employs a similar sort of vinification
in producing this simple VDQS (Vin Delimitée Qualité Supérieur)
called Bugey Cerdon or Cerdon de Bugey. The resulting wine is pink
in color and it's fruity and sweet. When we visited Bernard and his
lovely wife Marjorie, they brought out a plate of fried bread dusted with
powdered sugar. We've since enjoyed this wine at home with red fruit
desserts.
The wine is made about 40 minutes' drive from Bourg-en-Bresse, a town
famed for its chickens. We drove to a fancy restaurant near there
for dinner with the Rondeaus and were pleased to see Poulet de Bresse on
the menu. Unfortunately, it has to be ordered two days before.
Those chickens must be tough to catch!
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Currently in stock: BERNARD RONDEAU "BUGEY
CERDON" $15.99
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MAISON ANGELOT
 The Angelot
brothers cultivate about 57 acres of vineyards in the French alps...and
they produce a rather nice, juicy, berryish Gamay that's much along the
lines of a French Beaujolais.
We have the 2003 presently, a delightfully easy-to-drink, simple
red. This vintage is comparable to good Beaujolais or
Beaujolais-Villages, whereas "normal" vintages tend to be a
shade lighter than Beaujolais.
It's best served at cool cellar temp and pairs well with
lighter foods.
 The Angelot boys
also dabble in Mondeuse, a commonly cultivated red in the Alps.
Mondeuse is also found in Italy, but generally well across the country in
Friuli where it goes by the name Refosco. We have this grape in
California, by the way. In the Alps you can find some Mondeuse wines
which resemble Northern Rhône Syrahs! The Angelots make a more
berryish and mildly peppery version. It comes in a curious bottle, a
package which is a throwback to a different era. It's a nice twelve-buck red, though.
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Currently in stock: 2005 Gamay $9.99
2005 Mondeuse $11.99
CHÂTEAU DE RIPAILLE
 The French word
"ripaille", if I understand it correctly, translates to
"feast." And what a great name for a chateau which was a
"get-away" location for the first Duke of Savoy? He must
have been some party animal! This guy ended up becoming Pope (back
in the 15th century).
Of course, if you're going to have a chateau and host friends and visiting
dignitaries, you're going to need some wine. Well, rather than have
to go to all the trouble of calling someone at Château Lafite or hope the
brothers at the Clos de Vougeot would be willing to send wine to you, why
not plant a vineyard and make your own?
That's what the Duke did and they've been making wine at the Ripaille
estate ever since. The place has passed into the hands of the Necker-Engel
family and it's open for tourists to visit and see the gardens surrounding
the old domaine. I gather they have some sort of convention facility
on the property, as well.
We actually sell a fair quantity of Swiss wine from the other side of the
"lake" and Ripaille's vin blanc is made of the Chasselas grape
and is quite reminiscent of (more expensive) whites from
Switzerland.
We have the 2004 vintage in stock currently. This is textbook
Chasselas, being a delicate dry white of which oak is not a part of the
aromatics or flavor. Fans of sweet or heavily-oaked California or
Australian wines are definitely not going to find this to be very
exciting.
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Currently in stock: 2005 Château de Ripaille
"Vin de Savoie" $9.99
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DOMAINE JEAN-PIERRE & JEAN FRANÇOIS QUÉNARD
 Across the
valley from where you will find Apremont wines, one of the (for lack of a
better term) more famous Savoie wines, is the estate of the Quénard
family. Actually, there are a number of Quénards that make wine in
the neighborhood.
 You practically need to be named Quénard to make wine in this region!
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Like the wines of Apremont across the valley, the Quénards grow the grape called "Jacquère"
grape. The difference, though, is that the Chignin region has a better
exposure to the sun and the wines can be a tad riper, softer and more flavorful
(by Savoie standards). It's still not a blockbuster white wine,
though. I like the chalky character. As the fruit tends to be
rather acidic, the Quénards induce a secondary, malolactic fermentation
to soften the wine. It's a satisfying little white unless you have
to have oak in your wine.
We're big fans of the Chignin Bergeron white wine. This comes from a
small parcel of Chignin vineyard land where they grow the Rhône variety
known as Roussanne. Jean-François explains there are but 60, or so,
hectares of Roussanne in the region. This is a delicious dry white,
teeming with melon, orange and pear-like notes. It's dry, of course.
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Quénard makes a couple of bottlings of Mondeuse (Italy calls this
"Refosco"). The 2003 we have in the shop is more berryish
than their 2004 (yet to be shipped here) which is more spicy. I like
both styles. Neither is especially big or robust and you can drink
damned near the entire bottle, especially with savory foods. Serve
this red at cool cellar temp, too, please.-
Currently in stock: 2005 Chignin Blanc $9.99
2005 Chignin Bergeron (Roussanne) $16.99
2003 Mondeuse $12.99
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The
Quenards suggested a lovely place to dine which also had rooms. It's
in the town of Le Bourget du Lac.
Click here to see our Savoie-fare.
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CHARLES TROSSET
 We
discovered this winery while dining in the Savoie. I had asked the
server for a suggestion of a good, local red wine and she recommended a
bottle of Mondeuse from Trosset.
The wine reminded me very much of top Northern Rhône Syrahs and, in fact,
the Mondeuse is said to be a member of the Syrah "family."
I don't know if this is accurate, though. Having tasted two vintages
of Trosset's Mondeuse, I might guess that there are not too many
"degrees of separation" between Mondeuse and Syrah. In fact, the
"Mondeuse Blanc" is currently thought to be one of the
"parents" of Syrah! On the other hand, the grape
grows in Italy's Friuli, where it's called Refosco and these are rarely
reminiscent of Syrah. California vintners like to call their wine
Refosco, but it's not clear what we have in California is the same variety
as "Mondeuse." In fact, some say the Refosco of Italy is
not related, either!
The village of Arbin is a few miles north of Chambery in the Alps.
You can, on a clear day, see Mont Blanc from here. Arbin is, essentially,
a "cru" designation for Mondeuse and when you taste this wine,
you'll probably understand that if it's this good and so relatively close
in character to a nice Northern Rhône Syrah, it's probably worthy of this
special designation. In terms of aromatics, think of smoky notes, a
bit of bacon or hickory and a touch of a green olive tone. The wine
is medium-bodied and rather elegant.
It pairs well with lamb, of course. Duck and beef work well with
this and if your pork roast has plenty of seasonings, it will shine with
this, too. I have not tasted an old bottle of Mondeuse, so I can't
imagine how this will mature. It's so attractive now, anyway.
We currently have the Cuvée Prestige des Arpentes bottling. It's a
shade deeper than the Harmonie cuvée (labels depicted above). The
wine is big, rich and full on the palate. I find it a shade more
'closed' at this stage, so opening the bottle and allowing it to 'breathe'
in a decanter for an hour or two is ideal...you'll get a lot more out of
the wine.
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Currently in stock: 2005 CHARLES TROSSET
"Arbin" MONDEUSE $18.99
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