Easter Cellar Raids -
Alsace, Jura and
France Off the Beaten Track

A bottling that pushes the boundaries of what high-quality Beaujolais can be: grapes spend an enormous seven months macerating in large clay amphorae, creating a textured, explosive wine that’s spectacularly delicious.

Domaine des Ardoisières is one of the hottest addresses in the Savoie. This red is a blend of 65% Gamay de Chautagne, 25% Mondeuse, and 10% Persan. It is brimming with dark cherry notes and a spicy lift, with the cool smoky freshness of this high-altitude region. Supple, salty tannins, and a long balanced finish.

Boxler's Pinot Gris Brand is, in our opinion, the greatest expression of the grape in the world. In warmer years it is dramatic and full-bodied, and in 2021 the wine shows a fabulous balance between sweet, ripe peachy fruit and a pithy, fleshy length, with crystallised ginger spice in the background. A soft, glossy acidity gives it depth and grace. This will reward after just two or three years in bottle, evolving into a gastronomic wine par excellence.

This is the calling card of the Boxler domaine. Sommerberg is the steep 19 hectare grand cru vineyard that rises up dramatically behind the village of Niedermorschwihr, where the Boxler cellar lies. Indeed, Sommerberg is synonymous with Boxler: this is the most famous and celebrated iteration of the vineyard. It typically has drive and tension, and in 2021 it has mouthwatering minerality, and a sappy, almost fragrant salinity. Concentrated yet weightless. This is a Riesling to hold onto for a few years and enjoy as it gains in stature with age.

Indigène is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot noir and 5% each of Poulsard and Trousseau. Its name refers to the use of only natural ingredients in its winemaking: primary fermentation with indigenous yeasts, and secondary fermentation initiated by the addition of Stéphane's own liqueur de tirage, made from the domaine’s own, fermenting straw wine. It is creamy and gently sparkling, with a vinous character running through the palate. It is one of the finest examples of its type

This is made from a high quality Beaujolais village parcel, but after the wine was rejected in 2012 for being ‘too pale’, Jean-Claude decided to change its classification to the much freer Vin de France, valuing the innate character of the wine over the AOC’s regulations. It remains one of the most interesting in his range. The palate is so light on its feet, with a lifted red berry energy. 100% whole bunch Gamay gives it a cool, bright structure with lacy tannins. No sulphur dioxide is added at all here. Equally well suited as a chilled aperitif red or a superb lighter style to finish an evening off: this is natural winemaking at its finest, least-faddy best.

65% Gamay de Chautagne, 25% Mondeuse, 10% Persan. A beautiful pale ruby from a super-star Savoie domaine. It is lightly scented with wild cherries, Alpine strawberries, and a light graphite smokiness. Its sappy adicity and fine sweet tannins combine in this distinctive and delicious mountain red.

65% Gamay de Chautagne, 25% Mondeuse, 10% Persan. 2018’s warm season has lent this a depth of dark cherry and wild berry core, married with the cool smoky freshness of the high-altitude region. Supple, salty tannins, and a long balanced finish. Domaine des Ardoisières on top form.

Mas de Daumas Gassac’s quirky blend has earned it many fans over the years. The main component of Cabernet Sauvignon gives it structure and tannic backbone, whilst Merlot fleshes out the mid-palate. Spiced notes from Petit Verdot and a herbaceous lift from Cabernet Franc help add complexity. So far, so Bordelais… But the Mas de Daumas has an extra edge, thanks to the baking southern sun of the Languedoc, and the unusual components of Tannat and Pinot Noir that also play supporting roles. The overall impression is a rich, full-bodied wine, with a dried herb-scented lift, and fine, peppery tannins.

Chapoutier is an undisputed master of Syrah in the Northern Rhone, and they have taken their know how to this south-west estate in the Côtes du Roussillon. It's an unusual wine for the region in that it is 100% Syrah (most wines here are a blend of varieties). Structured and deep.

This Muntada is a showstopper. There’s a thrilling wildness and energy here, with bright, pure fruit and sweet leather and spice. Predominantly Grenache and Carignan (from 125 year old vines), there’s superb concentration and complexity here.

This single vineyard might not be classified as a grand cru, but it is one of Olivier Humbrecht’s most cherished sites. It sits just above Clos St Hune on triassic limestone. It is a high altitude site, protected by a forest. It’s a comparatively cool site in Alsace, and its one of the domaine's later ripening sites, and produces wines with a signature verve and freshness. Subtle, taut, and elegant. It needs a year or two to unfurl. 4.0g/l residual sugar (dry)

This cuvée is an homage to Stéphane's father, André (dédé/DD) who began making this wine. It is a blend of Pinot Noir, Trousseau and Poulsard which is made in a "glouglou" style without sulphur for easy drinking. Its long, gentle fermentation and ageing in hundred-year-old foudres preserve the natural freshness of the varieties. It is bottled with a little more CO2 than most wines to compensate for the lack of added sulphur dioxide. This provides a prickle of freshness, and a quick carafing might be advised. This quintessentially Jurassic red is wonderful for early, easy drinking.

Les Fripons is, like Les Filles, a wine made from 100% Bergeron - the local Savoie name for Roussanne. It is more linear and lean than Les Filles, but no less delicious. Gilles Berlioz is a passionate practicioner of organic farming and a benchmark producer in the Savoie.

40% Jacquère, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Mondeuse Blanche. Apple-scented, textured, and refreshing. The slight yeasty character adds depth and weight, and its soaring acidity gives it a tangy grip, with its briny length making it so moreish. Domaine des Ardoisières on top form.

This is low-intervention in the extreme: Jean-Claude doesn’t touch the tank during its 12 day maceration and fermentation. Combine this with zero sulphur and 100% whole bunch, and you’d be forgiven for assuming this would stray far onto the funky side of ‘natural’ wine. Yet it remains wonderfully poised. For anyone who knows the 2019 Eau Forte, this is a completely different animal. Where the 2019 was light, crunchy, and aromatic, the 2020 is powerful, structured, though still so very elegant. Its velour tannins and cool minty fruit culminate in a long sumptuous finish, and mean the wine is the most successful of Jean-Claude’s fuller-bodied 2020s.

Trousseau is a pale in colour, light in tannin, and fresh in flavour red from Jura. This is aged in amphorae, which brings texture and purity to the fruit. It's got bone fide natural wine credentials, and would not be out of place in the coolest wine bar, and chilled down a little and servd at home, you couldn't find a better aperitif red. Crunchy and juicy.

It's hard to believe this is only the second vintage of Paradella. The confidence and skill of the winemaking here speaks of superb experience, which can be attributed to Lionel Wojcik’s training at Château Tertre Roteboeuf. Made from Nielluccio (the local name for Sangiovese) and grown in the Corsican commune of Patrimonio - the finest on the island - it has such intense, decadent red berries beneath its rich, toasty oak. It will meld beautifully together with a few years in bottle.

Quite steely and reductive now, thanks to a long fermentation until November 2022 on the fine lees. This gives it masses of volume on the palate with rich juicy fruit. There’s zingy acidity here and a dry, chalky finish. Lots of savoury lees character makes it appetising and lip-smacking on the finish.

Grown on clay limestone on some of the coldest soils they have for Riesling, this vineyard is surrounded by hills limiting the sunlight it receives. There’s some warmth here still, with a silky texture and some rich breadth. Savoury on the palate with ripe apple fruit and some citrus too, with very subtle petrol hints at this early stage.

Chapoutier is an undisputed master of Syrah in the Northern Rhone, and this is their excellent blend from the deep south-west of the Côtes du Roussillon. It is juicy and structured, with the warmth of Grenache singing through. Grenache 65%, Syrah 35%.

This magnificent slope rises up behind the village of Niedermorschwihr. It’s extremely steep, and produces wines of superb power and scintillating tension from its sedimentary volcanic soils. Zind Humbrecht only released this wine for the first time in 2019. The parcel was bought in 2010 and replanted after a few fallow years, in 2013. High density planting (9000 vines/hectare) and the steepness of the slope here have pushed the young vines to produce something really quite extraordinary. Indeed, Olivier admits, he hadn’t been planning on releasing a wine from this site so soon, but was so astonished with the quality and character of the wines from 2019 onwards that he felt compelled to do so. 2.8g/l residual sugar (dry)

Bright and aromatic on the nose and palate with a softness to the texture despite plenty of bright acidity. Golden apple and pear fruit flavours with fresh lemon. Juicy on the mid-palate with some richness before a more savoury finish. Grown on granite soils, there’s a crystalline purity and elegance.

The richest Pinot Gris they made this year at 8g/l. Slightly reductive on the nose with a mineral, flinty feel from its volcanic soils. It’s very tightly wound now and needs some years in the bottle to open up. The mineral character follows through on the palate but there is a little softness to the texture and citrus, pear fruit already.