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Unconditional Satisfaction GuaranteeNo Shipping Fees Above 302 Months to Decide. Returns Simplified.ABOUT THIS WINE
100% Mondeuse from the Chignin village in the appellation of Savoie. Vines are 70 years old, grown on limestone and clay soils. The wine is aged for 1 year in old foudre. Mostly known and beloved for its white wines, the Savoie is also home to a noteworthy red grape called Mondeuse. Likely a relative of Syrah, Mondeuse thrives along the impossibly steep and scree-laden slopes of the pre-Alps, just down the road from Frances renowned ski mountains. For seventy years, the Quenards vines for this cuve have clung to this stony rubble, enjoying great health and complete ripening courtesy of the slopes quick draining, sunny southern exposure, and cool Alpine air currents.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
Savoie is a picture of fairy-tale perfection: snow-capped peaks, green rolling hills, wildflowers, and cold, sparkling mountain streams. This idyllic region hugs the western Alps, where Michel Quenard and his family farm twenty-two hectares of vineyards along the steep, rocky slopes of the Coteau de Tormry around Chignin. The limestone scree that makes up this vineyard land, resulting from millions of years of erosion of the majestic peaks of the Massif des Bauges, lends great character to the wines produced here.
Michels grandfather started the domaine in the 1930s. Though he slowly increased the vineyard holdings, he also sold off most of his wine in bulk. It was not until 1960 that Michels father, Andr, began bottling under their own label. Armed with a degree in viticulture and enology from Beaune, Michel joined the domaine in 1976, expanding vineyard holdings and making improvements to the cellar. Today, he is joined by his son Guillaume. While they are far from the only Quenards in Chignin, they are certainly the most well-knownperhaps this is due to the severity of their terrain and the quality of wines it produces.
Despite the domaines proximity to the Alps, the vineyards enjoy a surprisingly warm microclimate with southern sun exposure. Fig and olive trees are also found among the vines, unusual for such a snowy region. There are twenty-onecrusin the Savoie appellation, encompassing more than twenty permittedcpagesincluding several endemic varieties exclusive to Savoie. The Quenards vineyards are planted to some of the regions best known, with a focus on Bergeron, Jacqure, Mondeuse, and Altesse. Michel and Guillaume bottle multiple cuves, highlighting the regions diversity of grape varieties and the differentterroirsthey farm. The stoniness of their vineyards expresses an alpine freshness and lively minerality in their wines. Their cuves go beyond the simple eclectic that categorizes wines from the region; whether they are quaffed or savored, they are all unique revelations that reflect the complexity of theirterroirand the fine artistry of these mastervignerons
