Alpine Glory

As you all know here at Eli’s List, we love tradition and the old world…none of the modern, new world, razzle-dazzle, neon-lit wines for us.

We look for vignerons who farm their vines organically, naturally with deep respect for the soil; who make wines as they have been made for thousands of years and who are proud of their terroir and want their wines to speak of the earth from whence they come.

Domaine Dupasquier is such a winery.

Located in Aimavigne, what is still a hamlet in Jongieux in the Savoie region of Eastern France, close to the Rhone Valley, it is owned by Noel Dupasquier who has earned a very high reputation for his estate. He himself has an understated air about him, but not without a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face. Noel runs this ultra traditional domaine along with his son, David, and daughter, Veronique.

Their vines sit on a spectacular but very steep, sun-drenched south-facing hill that benefits from the cooling breeze off nearby Lake Bourget. David tends to them meticulously, with a tractor and by hand, but the Marestel vines, which is the hamlet’s best-known vineyard, is worked exclusively by hand as it is too steep to work with a tractor.

Noel, a firm believer in traditional winemaking has passed that on to his children. The Dupasquier wines mature happily for several months in large oak barrels and their vintages are usually released at least a year later than other vintners in the area. While this may not be unusual for other regions, it is so in Savoie, where the wines are vinified quickly in stainless steel vats.

Naturally, the Dupasquier wines reflect the terroir, the vineyard and their cellar. The wines are warm and ripe, while retaining the fresh, acidic quality of the Savoie.

The whites are broad and rich, fresh and mineral, with a subtle hint of smokiness. The Rousette and Chardonnay that we have at Eli’s List are well paired with food: fish, a hearty soup or stew, potato gratin, cheese and of course Fondue, which Savoie is famous for.

They also make a delicious red Mondeuse, a dark purple grape native to Eastern France. The wine has deep and spicy aromas, lots of cherries and plums with a fine structure, beautiful texture and harmony and soft tannins. It is a delicious medium-bodied wines. It has long been suggested that Mondeuse is related to Syrah and this was recently proven via a DNA profile of the two grapes.

At Eli’s List, we have:

Roussette de Savoie

Chardonnay

Mondeuse