I’m loving writing articles about the rare wines I discover through Cherries and Figs, my favorite wine store in Portland, OR. Today, the grape and wine of choice is Mondeuse, from high-altitude vineyards sitting on the western slopes of the French Alps.
About Mondeuse
Mondeuse is an ancient grape variety hailing from France’s mountainous alpine Savoie region. Mondeuse shares some of the floral, spice and game elements we adore in Syrah, yet with a bit more cranberry brightness.
Mondeuse d’Arbin is distinguished from other Mondeuses by its terroir located on the steep rocky hill overlooking the village of Arbin.
About Celine Jacquet
According to Living.Wine, “Celine Jacquet is a young woman winemaker, who established her domaine in 2011 in the village of Arbin, in Savoie. Today, She farms about 5 hectares (12 acres), without any desire to grow much bigger. She cultivates the traditional grape varietals of the Combe de Savoie: Mondeuse, Roussette, Altesse and Bergeron (also known as Roussane in the Rhone valley).”
Many of Domain Celine Jacquet’s vineyards are planted on very steep slopes, which don’t allow for any machinery. So harvesting is done strictly by hand.
Tasting Notes
Here’s how Norman, the owner of Cherries and Figs describes the Celine Jacquet Mondeuse: “Mondeuse… isn’t shy. It’s got a lot of character, although Celine’s version isn’t overly heavy or alcoholic. This is very pretty, light to medium bodied as well as elegant and refined; light in color, with a dzzling magenta at its core, fading out into a clear, springy violet hue at the edges. Aromas of anise, chimney smoke, light leather and dried leaves.
“The palate beams with white and red flowers along with a savory note of orange peel and just a tingle of graphite. After a moment to breather, spicy plum, warm thyme and black pepper thread themselves with the wine’s established, subtle bouquet of flowers, fruit and damp earth. A light but pleasant smokiness rounds out the long finish transforming into something herbal and minty.”
Wow! What a writeup. This is why I love buying my wines from Cherries and Figs.
When we tasted this amazing wine, we connected with a lot of what Norman wrote about, although we couldn’t find the flowers. Our main takeaway was that the wine was incredibly well balanced and inviting – to the point where trying to find individual flavors felt unnecessary. I highly recommend this wine.
