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2021 Savoie Chignin Pinot Noir
André & Michel Quenard

If any Pinot Noir on these pages is built for the Parisian bistro or Lyonnais bouchon, it is this one from the hills of Chignin, in Savoie. The vines’ southeastern exposure gives them plenty of sunlight, resulting in a ripe and succulent rouge perfect for your next picnic or family gathering.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Pinot Noir |
Appellation: | Savoie Chignin |
Country: | France |
Region: | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes |
Producer: | André & Michel Quenard |
Vineyard: | 20-25 years, .65 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Haute Valeur Environnementale (certified) |
Alcohol: | 13% |
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2020 Savoie Chignin-Bergeron “Côteau des Ducs”
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2020 Chignin-Bergeron “Les Terrasses”
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2021 Savoie Arbin Mondeuse “Terres Brunes”
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2020 Savoie Chignin Mondeuse “Vieilles Vignes”
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2021 Savoie Chignin Mondeuse “Vieilles Vignes”
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It has often been likened to a cross between Pinot Noir and Syrah: bright, elegant, and floral, with suggestions of wild fruit, blood, and minerals.

2021 Savoie Chignin-Bergeron “Les Roches Blanches”
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About The Producer
André & Michel Quenard
The Savoie is a picture of fairy-tale perfection: snow-capped peaks, rolling hills, and sparkling mountain streams. This idyllic region is where Michel Quenard farms twenty-two hectares of vineyards along the steep slopes around Chignin. His grandfather started the domaine in the 1930s. Though he slowly increased his vineyard holdings, he mostly sold off his wine. It wasn’t until 1960 that Michel’s father, André, began bottling under their own label. Michel joined the domaine in 1976. Today, he is joined by his sons, Guillaume and Romain. Their cuvées go beyond the simple “eclectic” that categorizes wines from Savoie; they are unique revelations that reflect the complexity of their terroir and the artistry of this master.
About The Region
Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
Fifteen or twenty years ago, there was little buzz about the wines of Savoie, the Alpine region hugging the Swiss and Italian borders. In fact, most wines from Savoie were some combination of overcropped, thin, searingly acidic, and painfully rustic; even the best examples rarely made it out of the local mountain resorts, where they were served as an après-ski to wash down many a melty croque-monsieur.
But all that has changed, and today Savoie produces a number of top-quality wines in all styles, from simple thirst-quenchers to wines of substantial gravity. Kermit sought out some of these wines early in his career, having imported the spritzy, mineral whites of Apremont and Chignin in the late 1970s.
With vineyards at the foot of the Alps that occasionally climb to higher elevations, Savoie is defined by its mountain-influenced climate and extremely rocky terrain, with abundant limestone. Thanks to a diversity of indigenous grape varieties, quality-oriented growers with the choicest parcels—steep and well-exposed—can craft anything from crisp, low-alcohol whites from Jacquère to deep, gamey reds from Mondeuse. More serious whites are made from Altesse as well as Bergeron, the local name for Roussanne, which the Romans planted on the slopes of Chignin around the same time as they introduced it to the Rhône Valley.
Savoie’s diversity of styles and distinct sub-regions, from Arbin to Seyssel to the Bugey (technically not a part of Savoie, but included here for convenience) makes it a fascinating region for the thirsty explorer. There is no better place to look for brisk mountain refreshment.
More from Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes or France
2021 Savoie Arbin Mondeuse “Terres Brunes”
André & Michel Quenard France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
2021 Savoie Chignin Mondeuse “Vieilles Vignes”
André & Michel Quenard France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
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2020 Savoie Chignin-Bergeron “Côteau des Ducs”
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2020 Chignin-Bergeron “Les Terrasses”
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Lambert de Seyssel France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
2021 Chignin-Bergeron “Les Terrasses”
André et Michel Quenard France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
2021 Savoie Arbin Mondeuse “Terres Brunes”
André & Michel Quenard France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
2021 Savoie Chignin Mondeuse “Vieilles Vignes”
André & Michel Quenard France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
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Lambert de Seyssel France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
2021 Savoie Chignin-Bergeron “Le Grand Rebossan”
André & Michel Quenard France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
2020 Savoie Chignin Mondeuse “Vieilles Vignes”
André & Michel Quenard France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
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Domaine Les Hauts Lieux France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
Vin de France Brut “Petit Royal” MAGNUM
Lambert de Seyssel France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
2020 Savoie Chignin-Bergeron “Côteau des Ducs”
André et Michel Quenard France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
2020 Chignin-Bergeron “Les Terrasses”
André et Michel Quenard France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
Bugey-Cerdon “La Cueille”
Patrick Bottex France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
2015 Royal Seyssel
Lambert de Seyssel France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
2021 Chignin-Bergeron “Les Terrasses”
André et Michel Quenard France | Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
Where the newsletter started

Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch