Domaine Quenard & Fils Chignin-Bergeron 2023

The Chignin-Bergeron from Domaine Quenard & Fils comes from Chignin, in Savoie, one of the most renowned crus of the Savoie vineyards, at the foot of the limestone cliffs of the Bauges massif. On around 2.5 hectares of well-exposed slopes, Roussanne, known here as Bergeron, takes root in stony marl-limestone soils. The continental, mountain climate, tempered by oceanic and Mediterranean influences, brings it ripeness and freshness.

The vines, from 10 to more than 100 years old depending on the plot, are farmed under certified organic and biodynamic agriculture, with yields limited to 35 hectolitres per hectare. The grapes are gently pressed for three hours, then ferment in tank, with malolactic fermentation completed. The wine is aged on fine lees for 12 months, in tank and in barrel.

This wine reveals notes of peach, apricot, fig, quince, violet, acacia honey, almond and white pepper. Beneath a pretty yellow colour, the nose is very fruity and generous, lifted by a floral touch. The palate is broad and flavourful, supported by lovely freshness and a long finish, which gains in complexity with a few years of ageing.

The cradle of wine culture in Western Europe, France owes its first vines to the Greeks of Phocaea, who settled around Marseille some twenty-six centuries ago, before the Romans spread viticulture along the Rhône and the Garonne and as far as Champagne. In the Middle Ages, Cistercian and Benedictine monks cleared the slopes of Burgundy and patiently mapped out the climats, laying the foundations of the notion of terroir. The 19th century brought the glory of the classifications, then the disaster of phylloxera, which wiped out the vineyards before they were rebuilt on American rootstocks; the creation of the appellations d'origine contrôlée in the 1930s then set the rules that would inspire the whole world. Today, France vies every year with Italy and Spain for first place in world production by volume and remains the ultimate benchmark of the Old World, as much for its age-worthy wines as for its winemaking models. Vineyards cover almost the entire country, from the cool north of Champagne and Alsace to the Mediterranean shores of Languedoc and Provence, by way of the oceanic climates of Bordeaux, the Loire and the South-West, continental Burgundy, the steep slopes of the northern Rhône and the high-altitude valleys of Savoie and the Jura. This mosaic of soils – limestone, schist, gravel or rounded pebbles – explains the extraordinary diversity of styles. As for grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate Bordeaux and produce structured reds, Pinot Noir is the signature of Burgundian finesse, Syrah of the depth of the Rhône, while Grenache, Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Mourvèdre cover every register, from easy-drinking wines to wines for long ageing. Among the whites, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin, Riesling and Viognier offer expressions ranging from lively and mineral to unctuous, all the way to great sweet wines. A land of benchmarks and constant discoveries, France remains the compass for wine lovers the world over.