2024 Maison des Ardoisieres 'Silice Rouge'

MAISON DES ARDOISIÉRES:

We’ve been on quite the stroke of luck and fortune lately, tasting a vast array of wines that have over-delivered for their price and at times, stopped us in our tracks. So, while easily the most esoteric of this month’s wine club offerings, we introduce the Silice Rouge (pronounced see-leesuh). A blend of old-vine Mondeuse, Pinot Noir, and a local derivative of Gamay, this wine evokes the ethereal lightness of the small village in Savoie in which the estate is. Located in the Vallée des Bauges of the French Alps, Domaine des Ardoisières is one of Savoie’s benchmark estates, a hallmark of organic and regenerative farming. Two of the winery’s original single vineyards date back to the Romans, before painstaking restoration of the stone terraces were undertaken by staunch supporters of the vineyards. Under winemaker Brice Omont’s leadership, the winery’s exacting standards have kept the expansion of production incremental, yet the winery’s vineyard holdings have expanded to include some of Savoie’s finest sites. Crafting pure, crystalline texture and savory alpine expressions, Domaine des Ardoisières is one of the greatest introductions to one of France’s best kept secrets (and frequently misunderstood) wine regions.

Light, ethereal, lifted, and elegant this is red wine at feather weight! Best served with a light chill, and French bistro-inspired dinner fare.