2020 Domaine de Chatillon Mondeuse

While the Savoie is best known for Chamonix, Courchevel, Fondue and Mont Blanc, in the wine world it is best known for Mondeuse. Remarkably similar (though not related) to Syrah, this wine is all about violets, raspberry, cacao and a pinch of white pepper. Deep, juicy and vibrant, this is a plush, long, easy going red that you could drink all night without ever getting bored. Dark red fruits, complex spicy-woody aromas and the Savoie's hallmark high-altitude acidity, these wines are incredibly interesting and unique.

Domaine de Chatillon ("cha-tee-yon") is owned by Swiss-born investor and wine lover Ed Peter, who is also the owner of famous Australian estates Yarra Yering and Kaesler. 

Tucked away on the northern tip of Lac du Bourget, less than an hour south of Geneva (while still in France), Domaine de Chatillon is a small, quality-focussed producer making wines that are both varietal and vividly expressive of their alpine terroir. The wines are dry-grown, hand-harvested, and wild-fermented. Maturation is in stainless steel or concrete to preserve freshness and fruit purity. Minimal sulphites are used.

With less than 1% of France’s total wine production, Savoie (“Sav-wah”) has long flown under the radar, its wines mostly enjoyed by skiers at Chamonix and the locals. Along with its neighbour, the Jura, Savoie is now seeing high demand for its unique, alpine wines that deliver purity, minerality and precision. 

Working with indigenous grapes including Jacquère and Mondeuse, alongside Gamay and Pinot Noir - the wines are clean, expressive and mineral, serving as a lucid expression of the region’s unique high-altitude terroir.