First in Class: Two Stunningly Aromatic, Mineral and Concentrated Wines from Savoie from the genius that is Gilles Berlioz. Never Before Imported Cuvees!

I'm very passionate about these wines and this is a very interesting producer so this is a very long E-Mail.  If you don't have the time to read it, there is a brief summary of the wines at the top.

2013 Gilles Berlioz Chignin "Ja Ja" for as little as $23.99 a 4 pack (white).  Alpine mineral nose with stunning concentration and purity.

2014 Gilles Berlioz "Le Deuse"  for as little as $32.99 a 4-pack (red).  Unique, flamboyant aromatics, delicate but firm structure and silken texture, powerful concentration and uncanny freshness.

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The Savoie has become trendy in wine geek circles.  It's a relatively undiscovered region (in the US)

and as much as 80% of the production is drunk locally. It is a place of great value and variety. Gilles Berlioz is , in my opinion one of the top two winemakers in the region.  I think that, after tasting his entire range, that he is one of the most talented winemakers in all of France.  I've sold his wines before but, for some reason, the best cuvees don't come to the States.  I think that's because once the triple markup of the three tier system gets ratcheted on to the price, they are $50 and no one will pay that for a wine from the Savoie.  The wines are "Ceiling Wines."  No matter how great they are, they can't cost more than $40 or so.

 As you approach the small wine village of Chignin it is hard not for your jaw to drop out of your mouth. Situated at the foot of the Alps these hills are majestic with some vineyards at the same slope and exposure  as some sites in the Mosel. They are that steep. Chignin is part of the great Savoie wine region, which is one of the coolest places I have visited in recent memory. There is a majesty to Chignin. It does not seem real. Almost like a place out of Lord of the Rings. I am absolutely thrilled to be able to represent, what I think is one of the greatest producers of not just the Savoie but one of the greatest producers in France, and that person is Gilles Berlioz. Gilles has been available in limited quantities over here for many years. In fact, I bought the wines when I was in New York retail for a while. At max, only 2 or 3 cuvees came into the United States and all of it to New York City. The thing is Gilles Berlioz makes many more cuvees than that. I had always heard great things about the cuvees that don't come here. It always seems the cuvees that don't come here are better. Possibly because they are too high priced at the estate to then crank through the 3-tier system and become the first $50 wine from region x. It happens a lot I notice with the Loire, Beaujolais and now Savoie as these are what I call "ceiling regions" where the market has established a price ceiling. Burgundy, Champagne and Bordeaux don't really have that, so prices can be crazy exorbitant and no one bats an eye. But in the ceiling regions there is so much value to be found because no one wants to become that guy who charges so much more than anybody else. So no one raises their prices and 3-tier focused importers and distribs only carry wines that work for them in this paradigm. At Fass Selections we want the best wine for the money and I am obsessive about seeking value, and I think with these incredible, never before imported, special cuvees from Gilles Berlioz I have hit the jackpot.

Gilles Berlioz is wildly popular amongst the Parisian wine bars and tastemakers.  One thing that I admire about the French approach to wine is that there are incredible wines in regions outside of Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux. Why?  Because great winemakers find the best terroir, work their butts off and make incredible wine.  The French know this, we are still getting to know that idea.

Today, I am offering two of the top cuvees from Gilles.  These have never been imported and they are absolutely stunning and incredible values as a result of the relative obscurity of the region and the strong dollar.  These are Wednesday Wines. Which means that I know that this is a difficult sell because the region is less well known but I was able to get the top producer and I really believe in the wines.  I'm pretty sure that these will be discovered by a hot somm soon so save a bottle or two for a year and you can execute the obligatory #unicornwine hashtag.

The first wine is one that I fell for instantly and it is the 2013 Gilles Berlioz Chignin "Ja Ja" for as little as $23.99 a 4 pack. This is made from the native Jacquere grape which creates the most classic wines of the region in my opinion. This is around 11% alcohol and blew my mind.  The nose is what I call mineral/alpine. So fresh, it's astonishing. So clean. Rich yet light like only Jacquere seems to be in Gilles' hands. Terrific concentration and textures. The texture in all of his wines are what slay me. These alpine minerals with the rich textures is an outrageous combo. The length and purity are very special as is the acidity. The acidity is perfectly intertwined with the textures. Masterfully done.  This is from 30 year old vines and the soils are alluvial clay overlying limestone. Think the low alcohol and minerality of dry Mosel Riesling along with the tetxures and vibe of Northern Rhone whites. It is quite a combination and makes the Savoie unique and also once you have them in your cellar you will be reaching much more for them than you think.

Next up is the 2014 Gilles Berlioz "Le Deuse"  for as little as $32.99 a 4-pack. Le Deuse is the local slang for Mondeuse in Chignin. Gilles poured it for me and I was just like "wow!" I had never smelled any wine like this. It was frankly amazing. So fresh, so pure, so flamboyant. All one could do is say wow. Gilles told me he wanted to name the wine, Wow, as that is what everybody says when they smell and taste it. It is sick wine. Exciting wine. Redefining wine. It's Mondeuse in all its unadulterated savage untamed glory but Gilles semi tames it and it is a beautiful wine with a delicate but firm structure and silken texture, powerful concentration and uncanny freshness . It is so fresh.  It was red wine of the year contention as soon as I smelled it. Then I tasted it and had to be talked off the ledge for it NOT to be red of the year.  Maybe because it is only 9.5% alcohol, is why it is so great. But I won't ask questions. It is truly great. Violets and black pepper dominate on the finish and attack. Super sappy and racy at the same time.

The main grapes are Jacquere, Roussanne and Altesse for the white and Mondeuse, Gamay and Pinot Noir for the RedsIt is decidedly cool climate and many vineyards are at the foot of glorious Alpine mountain ranges. Think of it like the Mosel meets the Alps meets the Loire Valley.The alcohol is generally much lower than any wine region I have encountered but the wines still show absolutely unreal textures. It's kind of the dry Mosel style and alcohol level meets Northern Rhone textures. For whites. And actually the only red I will sell from Gilles, his otherworldly Mondeuse, is 9.5% alcohol and has the texture of insane Syrah. Gilles is 100% organic and biodynamic and has yields of 30hl/ha in an area where typically the yields are 70hl/ha. He hand harvests and also ferments all wines with native yeasts.

Gilles Berlioz is to the Savoie as Ganevat is to the Jura, Gonon is to St. Joseph, Battenfeld Spanier is the Rheinhessen and Martin Muellen is to the Mosel. A great and iconic winemaker.

2013 Gilles Berlioz Chignin "Ja Ja" (Jacquere) - $25.99 

($95.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)

2014 Gilles Berlioz Chignin "La Deuse" (Mondeuse at 9.5%!) - $34.99 ($131.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)

Mix and Match on 4 bottles for deepest deal.