Tag Archives: Savoie wine

This French white speaks to the joys of wine, and that everything doesn’t have to taste like everything else

The Wine Curmudgeon rarely has to search for expensive wine to buy for this feature. For one thing, too many of the samples I get cost more than $25; for another, the few expensive wines I buy for my enjoyment are usually perfect fits for this review.

This month, though, I had nothing to write about. I tasted a dozen or so high-priced red wines over the past six weeks, and none of them were worth writing about. What’s worse, they all mostly tasted alike, even though they came from different parts of the world and were made with different grapes.

So I spent the past week trying to find something to taste for this review that wasn’t a smooth, high-alcohol red wine; that was sort of available; and would be something I could wax poetic about. Because I was tired of dumping expensive, smooth high-alcohol red wines down the drain.

Finally, I found the Les 13 Lunes Apremont 2020 ($24, purchased, 10.5%). So yes, Friday the 13^th was lucky.

This is a stunning French white made with an unknown grape, jacquere, from an even less known region, Savoie, near the French Alps. So yes, geeky, and made even more so since it’s certified biodynamic. Ah, but how it tastes: Not quite chardonnay and not quite viognier, but something completely its own — almost savory, “alpine fresh,” to quote a tasting note, and with a hint of tart green apple fruit, a floral sort of aroma, and an impeccably clean finish. And did I mention just 10 1/2  percent alcohol?

I drank this with a half chicken marinated in lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil, and then roasted with carrots and onions. Anyone who doubts food and wine pairings would have doubted no more.

Highly recommended — even though it’s an $11 wine in France. That’s usually the kind of price disparity that makes me crazy, but, in this case, I’ll just buy another bottle.

Imported by Paris Wine Company