Domaine de Chevillard, Jacquère, 2016
Domaine de Chevillard, Jacquère, 2016
As with all the white wines of Domaine de Chevillard, the Jacquère is slow pressed using an old manual Champagne press that sits in the upper level of an old barn, then gravity fed directly into neutral oak barrels below. The wines are aged on lees and allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation. On the nose, the wine gives floral and complex aromas including nectarine and hazelnuts. However, minerality really drives this wine more than anything. Stone and cool slate are pronounced, and that theme continues on the palate. It is an absolute textural playground of freshness and flavor. Do not mistake the low alcohol as a potential marker of a thin or watery wine, indeed it is quite the opposite. It is a true lesson in balance as the acidity soars and keeps the wine ethereal while the malolactic fermentation and barrel aging bring opulence. It is a wine that can be loved by all, from the most casual of white wine enthusiasts to the nerdiest wine nerds around!
Producer's Profile
Matthieu Goury
Matthieu Goury is a native of Savoie. His parents and grandparents were wine growers. After a degree in viticulture and oenology in Beaune, followed by a Master's Degree in agronomy, the young man gained experience working in Canada and Australia for Michel Chapoutier and Jasper Hill. Then in France, he worked two vintages at Chapoutier and Paul Jaboulet Aîné in the Rhône, before coming back to Savoie to work for a négociant.
In 2013, he settled in the picturesque village of Saint Pierre d’Albigny, located directly at the foothills of the French Alps, in the Val d’Isère, halfway between Chambéry and Albertville. At the beginning, Matthieu and his cousin shared a couple of plots that belonged to their grandfather. Three years later, in 2016, he proceeded on his own, and purchased a few more parcels. Today Domaine de Chevillard - Chevillard is the name of the hamlet where Matthieu was born - represents ten hectares planted with the local cépages, such as Mondeuse, Jacquère, Roussette, and Pinot Noir. At an altitude reaching 350 to 450 meters on the terroir of Combe de Savoie with a south-east exposure, the vines have always been protected from any synthetic products, and step by step, biodynamic farming is being introduced.
Matthieu Goury is un homme de la terre, with sturdy legs and a strong heart. He is devoted to tending his vines and caring for his soils. These are strenuous and unforgiving tasks, but essential in order to grow healthy grapes and to limit the yields.
Needless to say, grapes are hand-picked, and in his cellar, Goury’s winemaking techniques are soft and gentle, using many non-interventionists strategies, prioritising the quality of the fruit. The wines age for 12 months in barrels and foudres (large oak vats), and a further 12 months in bottles before they are released. A firm believer that simplicity is best, the young vigneron is not ashamed to confess that his taste is a bit ‘old school’ favouring acidity and density in his wines, above richness.
Matthieu Goury has already achieved a great deal, and his wines show great finesse, elegance, structure and length. They reflect the personality of his various terroirs.
