Domaine Dupasquier Savoie Rosé

About Domaine Dupasquier Savoie Rosé

Domaine Dupasquier Savoie Rosé is a zesty and fruity blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir from the French Alps region of Savoie. Crackling red cherry and cranberry, stony minerality, and lemon acidity show off here. Direct press Gamay and saignee Pinot Noir.

About Domaine Dupasquier

David Dupasquier is a fifth-generation winemaker at this ultra-traditional domaine. He and his sister Veronique run the domaine, but their Father Noel is still very much involved in the vineyards and in the cellar.

The Dupasquier vineyards are located in a southwestern lobe of the Savoie, close to the Rhône Valley. One drives through a large mountain called “Le Dent du Chat” to arrive at the domaine, and the terroir seems almost instantly to become more Rhône-ish on the western side of this tunnel. The town is called Aimavigne, and its most prestigious vineyard is the incredibly steep “Marestel” Cru (pronounced “mah-reh-tehl” no “s”). The vines benefit from steep, sun-drenched slopes, primarily limestone soil, and the cooling effects of Lake Bourget. David works these vineyards with a tractor and by hand – the Marestel vines entirely by hand, as a good percentage of the best sites are too steep to work with a tractor. Plowing is done once per year for every other row and David believes that the biodiversity this leaves in the vineyard is critical for the quality of wines. Harvest is done by hand and clusters are hand-selected.

The word “traditional” invariably gets used when Dupasquier’s wines come up in conversation.  There are many reasons for this, one being that the wines see quite a long period of aging in old, neutral barrels and in bottles before release.  In general, the Dupasquiers leave their wines in barrels on fine lees until just before the next year’s harvest. The wines then see another 18 months in bottle. In some other regions, this type of regimen might not be so unusual, but it certainly is in the Savoie, where the typical wine is fermented with added yeast and vinified quickly in stainless steel. This brings us to another aspect of the Dupasquier’s traditionalism.  All the wines are fermented with native yeast, and even in the coldest years, they don’t inoculate.

The style of these wines absolutely reflects the place, as well as the vineyard and cellar work.  There’s a warmth and ripeness to the wines that call the Rhône Valley to mind, yet with freshness, acidity, and cut reminiscent of the Savoie.  The whites are broad across the palate, the Jacquère more delicate, and Roussette richer, with Marestel the richest, also the most structured and age-worthy.  The reds also show a level of ripeness that is extraordinary for the Savoie.  Gamay and Pinot Noir from Dupasquier have a gorgeous core of vivid, sweet red fruit and a textural harmony that speaks to their years of aging in barrel and bottle before release.