Domaine Bärtschi, Coup de Foug', Savoie, France

Who - Clément Bärtschi
Where - Allobroges, Savoie, France
What - White Wine - Altesse & Jacquere
When - 2024
How  - Organic with some Biodynamic practices, each variety vilified separately, fermented with wild yeasts in stainless steel, matured in neutral 600L French oak where it undergoes malolactic conversion and light battonage for 11 months before blending each variety together in steel where it waits for a further two months before bottling, unfined, unfiltered, minimal sulphur added, vegan.

Clément Bärtschi has a starry wine-making pedigree, having worked at M Chapoutier in the Rhône and Romanée-Conti in Burgundy. Rather than work in a similarly starry appellation when he started his own project though, he has brought his talents and experience to the little known region of Bugey where he spent many summers as a child on his grandparents farm. 

But he has brought his Burgundian sensibilities and winemaking to Bugey. All grapes are handpicked to ensure the bunches are intact. Pressing is very gentle and includes stems to minimise maceration and preserve fruit clarity and purity. Fermentations are natural in old oak with extended maturation in large, neutral Burgundy barrels.

In Savoie, at the southern apex of the Jura mountains in eastern France, Bugey is building a reputation for great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This wine though is a blend of two Savoie varieties, Altesse and Jacquerre and, as the name implies, a wine full of energy and excitement. Perfect with a fondue or a board of cheese and cured meats.