Domaine des Orchis, Mondeuse “Quintessence”
Domaine des Orchis, Mondeuse “Quintessence”

Domaine des Orchis, Mondeuse “Quintessence”

Savoie, France 2018 (750mL)
Regular price$33.00
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Domaine des Orchis, Mondeuse “Quintessence”

One of the many things that make Savoie wines so appealing is their “hard won” quality, wrung as they are from steep, rock-strewn slopes in the French Alps. The unforgiving landscape and often high altitudes make for some challenging viticulture—but, then again, vines that struggle often produce the most compelling wines. It takes a certain kind of pioneer spirit to embrace viticulture in the Savoie, which Philippe Héritier has done wholeheartedly at his tiny Domaine des Orchis. Inspired by local eminences like Charles Trosset and Michel Grisard, Héritier headed to the cru village of Frangy (well north of the string of crus along the Combe de Savoie) to set up shop. He’s Certified Organic and employing many biodynamic practices in his four hectares of vineyards. What a find!


The wine displays a characteristically dark black/magenta hue, with with aromas and flavors that suggest everything from Côte-Rôtie to Cru Beaujolais to Saumur-Champigny. Scents of Damson plum, blackcurrant, violets, tapenade, graphite, and crushed rocks leap from the glass once it’s had a chance to take on air. It is medium-bodied and full of mineral grip and vibrant freshness—an absolute joy to drink—and will pair well with well-charred steaks, burgers, etc. off the grill.

Domaine des Orchis, Mondeuse “Quintessence”
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France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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