2015 Domaine Louis Magnin Arbin Mondeuse, Savoie, France
This Mondeuse is full of freshness, with pronounced fruit aromas. It is produced from thirty-year-old parcels grown on extremely pebbly, clay-limestone soils, which lend the wine a lovely balance. The grapes are harvested manually, completely destemmed and vatted in stainless steel vats for 6 days, after which the wine is matured on its lees in stainless steel vats for one year.
There are 22 units left in stock.
ABOUT THIS WINE
The classic cuvée from the domaine is produced from several parcels scattered about Arbin. The grapes, harvest manually, are destemmed before crushing. The period of maceration can last for as long as 12 days with daily pigeage in the first days. The élevage is principally in stainless steel but a small percentage is left to age in older barrels. The Mondeuse “Classique” is a rustic wine with a slight smokiness to the nose, herbaceous and spicy on the palate and marked by gentle tannins in the finish.
ABOUT THIS PRODUCER
While prospecting in the Savoie, the search for the best Mondeuse has to be conducted in the village of Arbin, the home of this fascinating grape. In Arbin, the Domaine Louis Magnin surfaces to the top as does the richest cream. This domaine devotes 55% of its eight hectares to Mondeuse, all planted within the confines of Arbin in the sector known as the “Combe de Savoie”. Another 30% of the vineyards are devoted to the Roussanne grape, known locally as “Bergeron”, all of which are situated in the neighboring village of Montmélian, equally renowned for its affinity to the Bergeron. The remaining 15% of the holdings are planted to Altesse and Gamay.
Louis and his wife, Béatrice, are dedicated to organic viticulture. Further, certain parcels are treated according to biodynamic principles. The vineyards, in general, face south-southeast and are planted on steeply-sloping hillside sites the soil of which is a clay and limestone mix with an overlay of scree. Almost all vineyard work must be done by hand.