Description
Domaine Saint-Germain, Savoie Rouge “Crac Boum’Bu”
I often recommend purchasing wines by the case, but I wonder if people (besides me) actually do it. Variety is the spice of life, sure, but seriously: Take as much of Domaine Saint-Germain’s “Crac Boum’Bu” as you can afford! This is the kind of lip-smacking, all-purpose red that eclipses much-pricier bottles in a group setting, and it’s not just because of the label. It delivers real complexity—it’s fruity, deeply mineral, evocative of place, and a true vin de soif to boot. I will have it amply stocked in my house and I urge you to follow my lead because there isn’t a savvy wine drinker alive who won’t be instantly charmed by it.
Crafted from a kitchen-sink blend of native red grapes—headlined by taut, aromatic, mountain-grown Gamay—this is the latest showstopper from Domaine Saint-Germain, a rising-star property in France’s Savoie region. If you don’t already know Raphaël Saint-Germain and his lineup of organically farmed Alpine gems (we’ve offered several), today is the day to get caught up: Not only do we have this bright, mineral-etched red but a “re-up” on the white-wine sibling of Crac Boum’Bu. If you’re fast, you can score both, and deliver one of the most convincing one-two wine punches in Savoie. Joyful, refreshing, and deceptively serious…what more could you ask for? (Ah yes, an affordable price—done!)
BONUS: Saint-Germain’s 2020 “Crac Boum’Bu” Blanc—a crackling field blend of Jacquère, Chardonnay, Malvoisie, and others—is available here in smaller quantities.
Up until very recently, you would have had to trek to a restaurant or ski area in the French Alps to drink the Saint-Germain wines, which developed a rabid cult following locally. Their arrival in the US, despite relatively tiny production quantities, is a triumph, if not such a big surprise: The Savoie growing zone has become the object of obsession among sommeliers (not least because climate change is shifting once “marginal” growing zones right into the sweet spot). Raphaël Saint-Germain and his brother, Etienne, hail from a family of grape growers and, after training in enology and plant biology, they began estate bottling in 1999. The picture-postcard vineyards of Saint-Germain, now totaling 12 hectares, face the Alps and sit in the shadow of the Arclusaz Mountains in the famed Combe de Savoie—a broad, glacial valley wherein the southerly exposures of the vineyards help ensure ripeness in an otherwise cold mountain climate.
Saint-Germain is headquartered in Saint-Pierre d’Albigny, which sits right next door to the well-known cru village of Saint-Jean-de-la-Porte. Raphaël has continued to build the estate’s holdings and obtain organic certification, which they received in 2012. In soils that mix clay, limestone, sandstone, and quartz, Saint-Germain and his team are fiercely devoted to the native grapes of the region—not just well-known varieties like Jacquère, Altesse, and Mondeuse, but also Douce Noir, Persan, Mondeuse Blanche, and Verdesse. The setting, the people, and the overall culture at Saint-Germain proved irresistible to Fabrice Bouché, a well-respected winemaker from Champagne who came to the area for a few weeks in 2014 to pursue his second passion (paragliding!). He was so impressed with Saint-Germain that he quit his luxurious life in Champagne and now lives next door to Saint-Germain and works solely on improving the wines (including, we’re told, a forthcoming méthode Champenoise sparkler).
As Saint-Germain states (in French) on the label, “…those who have the greatest descent take the line of greatest slope,” clearly referencing his steep-pitched vineyards and the labor involved in maintaining them. Well, the wine rewards the effort: This 2020 is driven by Gamay but contains a “secret” mix that likely contains Mondeuse and Pinot Noir, resulting in a wine that not only speaks of the Savoie but gives a hat-tip to Burgundy and the Loire as well. In the glass, it displays a deep ruby core moving to a magenta/pink rim, with aromas of blackberry, raspberry, violets, mountain herbs, crushed rock, and underbrush. It is lithe, perfumed, and medium-bodied, best enjoyed at around 55-60 degrees after a brief, rough decant. The deeply mineral finish leaves you craving another sip as soon as possible, and, whether as an early-in-the-evening pairing with charcuterie and cheese or a main-course headliner alongside something appropriately “Alpine,” this wine is going to stimulate both the appetite and the conversation. Do NOT pass it by!
