Les Vignes de Paradis ‘Un P’tit Coin de Paradis’

OMG! Is this the perfect June-uary wine ever or what?!! Straight from the fridge, this screams warm early-summer days with minerality & acidity dancing across your palate like a bite of a cold Asian pear. And yet, allowed to come up in temperature ever so slightly and there is a lush white fruit vibe that reminds me of eating a white peach while sitting next to a bouquet of aromatic flowers - wtf?! But it’s true! And either way, the finish is salty and stony with mouthwatering acidity that leaves you wanting another gulp immediately!

First things first and just to clear things up - Chasselas is native to this region and is often used as a blending grape. Google it and you’ll get all kinds of words like sipid, boring, high acidity, “only used as a blending grape to boost acidity” is a common phrase in winemaking circles….etc. However, when in the right hands, it can be so freaking good (see above description as a reference - lol!). 

Which brings us to Dominique Lucas! Originally from Burgundy (Pommard), he was working for a négociant - the same one that his father and grandfather had worked for. Seeking more experience, he went to work for a domaine in Vosne Romanée (also in Burgundy).  But like a lot of younger winemakers, he wanted more and seeing what was happening in Burgundy - in his words “there was too much chemistry happening in Burgundy..”  not to mention the prices and inaccessibility for vineyards, he decided to go it on his own. Finding himself in the Savoie, he worked for a few places and lucked into some vineyards on the French side of Lake Geneva. Fast forward several years and Dominique has created a magical place that consists of 7.5ha (about 15acres) of vines, medicinal herbs, sheep, horses and his family. And of course, he grows the indigenous varietals for the region which, lucky for us, includes Chasselas. Handpicked grapes are fermented and aged in concrete - takes him 2-1/2 months to harvest which is utterly fascinating to me!

I could go on and on but to spare your email from getting too long - suffice it to say, that this Chasselas is rocking my world and you should get yourself some before I drink it all!!