Summary
Located near the small village of Chignin in the foothills of the Bauges massif, and bordering neighboring Switzerland and Valle d’Aosta, the organically-farmed vineyards of Domaine Adrien Berlioz in the Savoie perch picturesquely at 1280 feet asl. Adrien took over the 2ha of family vineyards in 2006, and with plenty of hard work and in pursuit of purity and a certified biodynamic approach to farming, he has grown the vineyard to 5 hectares, transforming it into one of the region’s most prestigious domaines.
The hard work starts with the incredibly steep slopes the vines are planted on – some of which boast an inclination of 50%, on soils comprised of rock scree and calcareous clay. Planted here are a mixture of the region’s best known varieties including Jacquère, Altesse, Malvoisie, Bergeron (Roussanne) Mondeuse, Douce Noire, and Persan, all farmed without the use of herbicides or non-organic fertilizers and all by hand (with a little help from the horses).
In the winery, the dedication to purity continues, making the wines with minimal intervention, natural winemaking techniques, including sulfur additions when needed for transport stabilization. The results are evident in the incredibly mineral driven, intense and pure wines.
