IGP Allobrogie, Chardonnay, Les Vignes de Paradis - 2022

Dominique Lucas grows Chasselas but does not claim these two PDOs voluntarily, declaring them as IPG Allobrogie in order to distinguish himself from other estates that practice a different viticulture for a distinct result. The initial planting was completed by the planting of chardonnay, savagnin, sauvignon, pinot gris, altesse and chenin, as well as the recovery of pinot noir and gamay.

All the interventions on the vines and soils are carried out with a deep respect for biodynamics, with the use of the lunar calendar and the different preparations. The vines are treated with medicinal plants harvested in the mountains and dried on the estate, as well as with essential oils. The oldest and most uneven vines are even ploughed by horse. They are managed with very measured yields and without trimming, in the manner of Lalou Bize Leroy in Burgundy. 

The grapes are harvested by hand in several passes in order to collect them at the ideal maturity, with a demanding sorting in the vineyard and in the cellar on a vibrating table. The vinification is traditional and natural, and therefore long, then the maturing is done in rooms, ovoid vats, amphorae and even a pyramid-shaped prototype. The new vats are built by incorporating spring water from Thonon-les-Bains, local gravel and sand from Chamonix, in order to be able to vinify entirely in a terroir-based way....