2007 Jean-Pierre et Jean-Francois Quenard Altesse Roussette de Savoie Anne Sophie

RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  10/17/2011, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 87 points

  (Jean-Pierre et Jean-Francois Quenard Altesse Roussette de Savoie Anne Sophie) Light golden yellow color; almond, tart pear, tart peach, tart apricot nose; tangy tart peach palate with good acidity; medium finish 87+ points

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  2/11/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (ROUSSETTE Quenard ANNE SOPHIE) Anne Sophie Dear Friends, The 2007 Savoie offer last week was extremely gratifying for me. It received the largest response to any offer since last fall's Mas Mudigliza. It reaffirmed the notion that our core customer base is more interested in the unknown and eccentric (the hallmarks of Garagiste) than in known commodities (with high scores) that can be found at a multitude of other outlets around the US. I've never been interested in copying or following others (I believe that's obvious at this point) and as I've always said, I don't even consider Garagiste to be a wine retailer. We share our stories of wine, food, culture and philosophy and, at some point we send you some wine (albeit, on a schedule that few can understand). While punctuality isn't our strong suit, provenance is. We spend as many man-hours worrying about the condition of your wine than we do scouring the globe on your behalf to secure it. Anyone can sell wine or dishwashers at a low price - very few will have the gumption to stand behind what they offer from the producer's hand to your glass - we do. I realize many of you pay the closest attention when we have a highly scored wine at a low tariff but that's not the root of our cause or what truly makes us tick. While we will always offer that service, Garagiste truly exists because of wine like this... 2007 Roussette de Savoie - a wine that glimmers in the daylight like snow falling on cedars (in this case, I mean a cedar roof top of a mountain chalet). 2007 was a watershed vintage in this area of the Savoie and this "reserve" level cuvee from Quenard is for lovers of Chablis, Champagne and Vouvray sec all in the same glass. Others will liken this to Muscadet spiked with a dash of Vatan and Silex rolled in alpine rock and Ricola but, however you wish to categorize it, this wine represents the clearest beauty in the world of wine and it should adorn every wine-seeking dinner table in the US at least once. You may not like it but you will be better for the cleansing experience. From 100% Altesse, this shimmering wine is completely hand-picked and hand-made from a tiny parcel of the best fruit the Quenard's had in 2007 grown on very dense limestone, calcium and clay glacial deposits (see attached photo for a glimpse at Quenard's vineyards - if that doesn't inspire you to travel and experience the world, I'm not sure what will). The Anne-Sophie is the quintessential top-end wine of the Savoie. It will play as an aperitif as well as an accompaniment to fresh fish, poultry, shellfish or cheese at a price that is still among the lowest in Europe for a producer's top wine. While acid is the backbone, there is great depth of fruit and (unlike Champagne) the cut is stiletto rather than stalactite mixed with what the Savoyard call "mountain tonic". The presence of this wine is like mineral soaked melted snow trickling down the side of a hiking path above Le Villard. A low-alcohol delight of the purest order without any new oak that gets better and better over 1-3 hours. Serve this white wine very cold and allow to slightly warm in the glass. The only problem with the Savoie? They make very little wine - in this case, just over 100 cases and most of it will stay in France. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (it's just as good on day two, which is quite unusual for a dry wine of this ilk) ONE SHIPMENT ONLY directly from the source with perfect provenance: 2007 Jean-Francois Quenard Roussette de Savoie "Anne-Sophie" (Savoie) (this is not A & M Quenard - their Roussette is $9.99; this is a special cuvee from J-F Quenard) It will ship during the first available shipping window this spring (weather permitting). Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA SOFR7760