For me, Domaine des Ardoisières produces the ultimate “mountain wine,” sourced from some of Europe’s highest vineyards in the foothills of the French Alps. I daydream of being there whenever I have the pleasure of finding these electrifying wines in my glass, but today’s 2020 “Silice” produces a dramatically more vivid response—like getting a natural high after drinking straight from a fresh mountain stream. 

Whether you prefer hiking in the woods, hitting the slopes for some adrenaline-filled skiing, or would rather sit back and simply partake via your imagination, you owe it to yourself to experience (1) the masterful, hands-off winemaking of Domaine des Ardoisières and (2) Savoie’s wildly thirst-slaking, palate-refreshing Jacquère grape. With each vintage, these wines—no matter the cuvée—become more frequently consumed by sommeliers and Savoie aficionados alike, so I urge you to grab a handful while it’s still possible to get any at all!

Looking at this bottle’s label might make your eyes glaze over with confusion; there’s a lot to digest here. At the top, “Maison des Ardoisières” is the producer (maison is the négoce side of their business, i.e. purchased fruit instead of estate-grown) and this particular wine is named “Silice.” but it gets tricky from there. The “IGP Vin des Allobroges” designation indicates that the grapes come from the Allobroges region of the Savoie Department—about 120 km west of the city of Lyon, along the border with northwestern Italy and southwestern Switzerland. Though the IGP law allows more flexibility than the Vin de Savoie AOC regulations for vineyard practices, winemaking techniques, and permissible grape varieties, Silice is 100% Jacquère from three separate vineyards all within the village of Apremont. The last note that begins with “récolté, vinifié...” lets us know that everything from the harvesting of the grapes through bottling the wine was done at the estate of Brice Omont.

Formed by a group of partners in the late 1990s, Domaine des Ardoisières revitalized their vineyard land at the direction of organic and biodynamic vigneron Michel Grisard. Champagne-native Brice Omont joined the team as lead winemaker in 2005 and, since then, their five different wines (three white and two red) have garnered critical acclaim not only within France but worldwide. With demand increasing but supply remaining the same, some of Omont’s wines fetch prices nearing triple digits, which makes “Silice” seem criminally underpriced for the immense drinking pleasure it provides.

After hand-harvesting, the grapes are fermented with indigenous yeasts in both stainless steel tanks (two-thirds) and old French oak barriques (one-third). It then spends about eight months aging before being lightly filtered and bottled without fining. No sulfur is added at any point during vinification or bottling. 

In the glass, it shows a vibrant lemon hue with flecks of silver at the rim. With a short 15-minute decant, beautiful aromas of green apple, honeydew, lemon zest, and fresh apricot unfurl from the glass alongside a touch of flinty smoke. On the palate, the wine has that seemingly impossible balance of taut minerality and textured roundness, akin to top-notch Chablis. Being Jacquère though, it offers more floral notes with flavors of Mirabelle plum and winter melon. It will gain more texture and complexity with 2-3 years of age, but I don’t know how you could possibly resist pouring several bottles of it right now. Enjoy around 45-50 degrees in large Burgundy stems to emphasize its aromatics. There are plentiful pairing options ranging from a classic Savoie-inspired cheese fondue to vibrant salads, but my personal pick would be a simple garlic-butter shrimp recipe.