Pierra Menta Blanc 2020

Pierra Menta Blanc 2020

Jean Yves Peron

This is an exceptional dry white wine from Savoie made by Jean-Yves Péron. Produced organically, biodynamically, and from scratch on schist plots near Albertville, Pierra Menta is made from the Gringet grape variety. The winemaker plans to plant more vines of this ancient variety until he reaches half a hectare.

Vinification

Gringet, which makes up 100% of Pierra Menta, is a white grape variety native to Haute-Savoie, historically linked to the commune of Ayse, near Bonneville. Jean-Yves Péron's vines are planted near Albertville, on a south-facing mica-schist plot. Gringet has long been confined to the Bonneville region and traditionally produces low-alcohol, high-yield sparkling wines. It's an interesting grape variety that produces fruity, low-alcohol wines with quince notes and strong minerality. Pierra Menta's gringets are macerated for 15 days in carbonic acid with punching down, and aged for one year in new 300-liter barrels, some new and the rest from two wines.

Tasting

The quince is felt from the start, and the minerality superbly supports this note. White fruits, florality, lots of structure, and beautiful acidity. Incredible length, too... "One of the most beautiful wines I've made this year," says Jean-Yves. We thank him for this and move on to the food and wine pairings: fish, seafood, oysters, or the delicious spreads from Olio di Serra. Not forgetting the hummus and baba ghanouj from Terroirs du Liban.

Learn more about Jean-Yves Péron

Jean-Yves Péron is a talented embodiment of the organic, biodynamic, and natural renaissance of the Savoyard vineyard, which is based on varied soils and numerous indigenous grape varieties (Jacquère, Altesse, Mondeuse, etc.). At his Chevaline winery in the Bauges region, he vinifies the grapes from his plots in Conflans, near Albertville, and Fréterive, in the Isère valley.

High-altitude biodynamics

Jean-Yves Péron's work follows the principles of minimal intervention. On narrow and steep surfaces, his mountain vines in micro-plots, worked by hand, do not receive any synthetic products, Jean-Yves preferring horsetail and nettle manure. The grapes are vatted in whole bunches and undergo semi-carbonic maceration. Shortly before pressing, they are foot-trodden in the vat, then sent to barrels of two or three wines for aging for twelve months on lees, before blending and resting in the vat. No sulfites are added, or as little as possible, and the wines are not fined or filtered.

Italian-Savoyard trade

Since 2011, a trading activity has allowed Jean-Yves Péron to buy the harvest from neighboring organic winegrowers and to collaborate with winegrowers from Northern Italy: this is the I Vicini series, which allows him to diversify the terroirs and deepen his experiences in winemaking and aging.