Domaine des Côtes Rousses "La Pente" Savoie Blanc, Savoie, France 2022

FROM GRAND CRU SELECTIONS:

THE WINE: 100% Jacquere. 20 different parcels on steep slopes with limestone scree. Aged in 50% in foudres as well as sandstone amphoras and old barrels, the wine has a very pale colour and a dynamic mouthfeel. With low alcohol to boot it is the perfect wine to slate your thirst on a warm summer’s day. Nicolas comments it’s easy to work with low sulphur when the pH is as low as 3 – total SO2 of 18mg/l, only added before bottling.

THE PRODUCER: Nicolas Ferrand is a first generation winemaker who founded his domaine in 2011, naming it for the reddish alpine soils he works. He currently farms around five hectares of vines in the village of Saint Jean de la Porte planted with Mondeuse, Altesse, and Jacquère. All of the vineyard plots are south-facing at an altitude of 350 to 580 meters. The native herbs and trees on the slopes of the Bauges mountain ranges create a sort of alpine “garrigue.” The winery and cellar are at a family farm in La Motte-Servolex, using old stables that used to house Nicolas' grandparents' cattle. (The hay hatches have proven useful to working by gravity.) In the cellar, Nicolas is as non-interventionist as possible, using only natural yeasts and old barrels. When racking and bottling, he works according to the biodynamic calendar.