Description
Famille Richel, Apremont “La Combelle”
Oh, what I wouldn’t have done to have had today’s thirst-quenching alpine white in my back pocket when I was working restaurant floors: It’s the sort of bottle I could’ve dropped on any table and walked away knowing everyone was thrilled with its refreshing vibrancy, crystalline minerality, and perfectly chiseled fruit—priced at a fraction of nearly any other bottle on the wine list!
I doubt the Savoie’s native Jacquère grape will ever be spoken about in the same reverent tones as France’s higher-priced benchmarks, but don’t tell that to the Richel family! They’ve been quietly working these high-elevation slopes since the 1950s, and their Herculean efforts turn out a wine somehow equally at home on a picnic blanket as it is on a white tablecloth. Their “La Combelle” pulls off the ultimate balancing act, playing the part of cerebral and crushable equally well. My suggestion? Just skip to the end and grab at least six bottles for enjoyment throughout the next three seasons. There should be no hesitations when you get this much wine for this little of a price!
The Savoie is having a serious moment. On the far eastern border of France, abutting Switzerland, it turns out supremely mineral whites with the clarity of fresh spring water. For most of my career, it was an oddity, the sort of region whose wines you’d see on only the trendiest wine lists. Most of the local juice was wisely consumed by locals and never made it stateside. Thankfully, more has started to trickle onto our shores, and much of it is astounding, especially the Apremont subregion’s Jacquère-based wines. Located at the base of Mont Granier, Apremont vineyards benefit from limestone deposited by a massive landslide in the 13th century. The Richel family’s vines plunge their roots into clay and marl soils studded with limestone chips, resulting in a deeply mineral white with beautiful high notes of meadow flowers and raw cream.
The Richel family owns prime east-facing sites in Apremont, meaning their Jacquère vines are bathed in morning sunlight until every grape is plump and ripe, but still wonderfully fresh. Jacquère can pump out a massive crop if left untended, so the Richels make several passes to drop unnecessary fruit, thereby concentrating grape’s mountainous and chiseled flavors. The fruit is hand-picked into baskets before a delicate pneumatic pressing. The wine is then briefly aged Apremont (on its spent yeast cells for added texture and complexity) in temperature-controlled stainless steel.
Based on the structure alone, you might think this is Chablis, but the aromatics here point to Jacquère’s Alpine origin. White meadow flowers, cut straw, green apple, lemon zest, almond cream, and a minerality fresh as melted snow lead the nose. While you could serve this at 45 degrees to emphasize its most refreshing aspects, letting it warm up just a bit more allows the aromatics and flavors to really flex. The palate is tensile and thirst-quenching to be sure, but there’s a creamy breadth to it that really elevates this to next-level status. Citrus blossom, pear skin, white peach pit, and a sort of running creek water minerality make for a truly fascinating palate. Rich enough to be satisfying on its own, brisk enough to cool you down, Famille Richel’s “La Combelle” is perfect for any time, anywhere.
