Alpine Wine, Springtime Ritual Return
Each spring we welcome back a wine that quietly captures the hearts of everyone at Gordon’s: the André et Michel Quenard Chignin Blanc. This is not just another white wine. It’s a crystalline, alpine expression of a truly special terroir, a wine we look forward to offering every year—and one we’re proud to say consistently leads its category in both quality and value.
Hailing from the storybook slopes of Savoie in the French Alps, this white is made entirely from Jacquère, a grape native to the region and largely unknown outside of it. If you’re not familiar, Jacquère is a variety that thrives in high altitudes and rocky soils, yielding wines that are lean, mineral-driven, and deeply refreshing. In the Quenard family's hands, Jacquère becomes more than just crisp—it’s vivid, layered, and quietly complex.
The 2023 vintage of Chignin Blanc, imported by the legendary Kermit Lynch, is one of the most vibrant we’ve tasted. The fruit for this wine comes from vines that were planted as early as 1930—over 90 years ago—rooted deep in limestone scree, a stony, nutrient-poor soil that forces the vines to dig deep and concentrate their energy. The wine itself is saline and invigorating, with notes of white peach, citrus blossom, and alpine herbs, all carried on a cool, mineral backbone.
What we love most about this wine is how adaptable it is. It’s the perfect après-ski companion, of course—a nod to its snow-capped heritage—but we find it just as compelling in warmer weather. A colleague recently paired a bottle with a simple picnic by the marina (cold sardines and a green salad, no less), and it was a knockout. Others have sipped it on a sun-drenched sailboat, or just quietly as dusk falls and the day winds down. It’s elegant, nuanced, and precise. At just 11% alcohol, it’s light on the palate yet full of energy.
The Quenard family has farmed in Chignin since the 1930s. Michel Quenard joined the domaine in the 1970s, continuing the work begun by his father André, who first bottled under the family name in 1960. Today, Michel’s sons Guillaume and Romain carry on the tradition, farming with care and minimal intervention to let the land speak clearly through the wine. Their sustainable practices and intimate knowledge of their steep, alpine vineyards show in every bottle.
We offer this wine annually, and it has become something of a ritual here at Gordon’s. A signal of the season’s shift, a reminder of the value of tradition and the beauty of restraint. And each year, it sells out quickly. Wines this honest, this delicious, and this transportive don’t come around every day.
