The Estate that Makes Wine from Grapes that Nobody Has Ever Heard Of in a Place Nobody Has Ever Heard Of

 2020 Domaine des Rutissons Verdesse IGP Isere
 - Only 13 Hectares of this Grape in the World
 - One of the Oldest White Grape Varieties in the World
 - Nose: Floral, Lemon, Grapefruit and Very, Very Mineral
 - Palate: Huge Acidity, Juicy Sweet Lemon
 - Super Intense Deep Minerality
 - Roundness Juxtaposed with Brilliant Acidity and Freshness
 - Top Notch Deliciousness

2020 Domaine des Rutissons Mas P'Tit Gars IGP Isere
 - Sick Nose: Spice, Cherry, Menthol, Early Season Cherries, Animal, Floral
 - Superbly Complex and Mineral, Gorgeous Alpine Purity
 - Palate: So Sappy and So Dense 
 - Best of Season Cherry Fruit
 - Purity and Energy of this Wine Is Insane
 - Spice, Amazingly Deep Fruit, Super Alpine Minerality
 - Unique Elite Purity Combined with Deep Fruit

 - At $22.99 It Is Old School Gamay Pricing

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One of the selfish reasons I love discovering new estates is that I get to write about them and and introduce them to an anxious public ready to explore new vinous boundaries. It is a great responsibility to introduce a new estate to this list as the tasting experience and acumen of this list is top notch. I've never ever worked with such a knowledgeable customer base. It's not like a retail store where any idiot can walk in off the street and ask for White Zinfandel or Pinot Grigio, this is for true wine lovers and geeks with the most open minds possible to experience something new, something delicious and something distinctive. I have that in spades today.

Now that we have a serious Savoie and the surrounding areas portfolio each grower has their own vibe and oeuvre. I'm trying to introduce them in the same way that I was introduced to them as I visited and signed the four new Savoie estates in one very long day.

Domaine des Rutissons

The estate today called Domaine des Rutissons which is in an area called Isere, which is around an hour and half drive from Annecy. It is a gloriously beautiful area with mountains looming over gorgeously located vineyards. But what is planted in these vineyards is the story of today. Domaine des Rutissons is an estate, to quote one of the owners, "that makes wine from grapes that nobody has ever heard of." That is exactly what they do as this was one of the most delicious and educational tastings of my wine career. These are stunningly delicious and pure wines with refinement and rusticity and a deft winemaking hand. These guys, Laurent and Wilfrid, really know what they are doing and they are also making wine with these ultra rare grapes and doing, what I have such respect for, which is preserving local traditions. The wine world needs more Wilfrid and Laurents' and less Cabernet and Chardonnay. I fell in love with these wines for their startling originality, deliciousness and the preservation of memory and tradition.

Isere

Isere is an IGP for wines made in the mountainous department of the same name on the eastern border of France. It is between the Savoie to the north and the Northern Rhone to the south. The cool alpine air helps the grapes ripen slowly. Only a very small area is suitable for the planting of vines and what is, is in my opinion, very special. Rutissons is working towards biodynamic, is full organic and uses low amounts of sulfur. Their first vintage was 2010.

The Wines

Up first is the 2020 Domaine des Rutissons Verdesse IGP Isere for $32.99 a bottle on a 4-pack.
Verdesse is a white grape that is an ancient specialty of the area. Only 13 hectares are planted and one of the parents of the grape is Savagnin. As of 2008 there were only 2 hectares planted so it is slowly increasing. It is considered one of the oldest white grape varieties in the world. I adore this grape and I know once you all taste this you all will as well. It's brilliant and so new and so unique. Like Chenin crossed with Jacquere but has thrilling cooling Alpine character.

The nose is just crazy. The signature of Verdesse is its striking aromas. Wooly, floral, lemon, grapefruit and very, very mineral. Fruit salad galore. Confectionary sugar. Floral and pears.  So complex. It has that alpine cooling floral, lemon grapefruit thing but also a severe Chenin/Jacquere type minerality.

The palate is wonderful. Huge acidity with juicy sweet lemon, intense dryness and super intense deep minerality. It is so distinctive and my oh my is this wine long. Almost indescribable. Sappy red cherry fruit, red currant fruit and loads of fresh earth and mineral. Sappy and super fresh with just huge mineral extract on the finish. It's a big wine with just insane freshness and brilliant mouthfeel. I love the roundness juxtaposed with the brilliant acidity and freshness. It is uplifting and has so much alpine florals. Vibrant and so energetic with engaging fresh Alpine herbal notes as well. Wonderful wine and something that will age 3-6 years. This is very limited as you can imagine they don't make a lot.

Up next I have brilliant Gamay in the mountain Gamay school of Gamay which for me is 2nd to Beaujolais for my Gamay enjoyment. Sometimes even first. I love the wild character, the flowers, the cooling vibe, the crunch and the purity. Also they can be sick sick values. The 2020 Domaine des Rutissons Mas P'Tit Gars IGP Isere can be had for $22.99 a bottle on a 4-pack and is just silly delicious Alpine Gamay fun for no scratch. This is 2/3 whole cluster fermentation in 2020 as the ripeness in these parts was unheard of. Go Climate Change!

Sick nose. Spice, cherry, menthol, but definitely early season cherries, animal and floral aromas.  Superbly complex and mineral with that gorgeous alpine purity. Flowers galore and gorgeous deep and super precise berry fruit. Super spicy red cherry fruit with such energy. You can smell the energy. It's layered. It's haunting. It's so unique. You'll all know what I mean when you smell the fresh alpine character of these Gamays. It will impress you as much as it did me.

Palate.  So sappy and so dense yet just soaks the palate with sappy pure best of season cherry fruit. It saps down hard on the finish. Really hard. Wish just a sap cherry explosion but intermingled with insane spice, inner mouth florals of the purple and red kind. You can't believe the purity and energy of this wine and then the complexity comes and it just slays you. There's spice, the amazingly deep fruit and super alpine minerality and freshness all over the place. The nose, the finish, the inner mouth aromas, the mid palate. It's what makes this wine unique. The fact that it's so pure and so deeply fruited yet so complex is a wonder. And this has energy to burn.

2020 Domaine des Rutissons Verdesse IGP Isere - $34.99 ($131.96 4-Pack)  (*Includes tariff of $3.32)

2020 Domaine des Rutissons Mas P'Tit Gars IGP Isere - $24.99

 ($91.96 4-Pack) (*Includes tariff of $1.97)