Les Dolomies - SAVAGNIN ARCO 2018

The Dolomies-Savagnin Arco is named after one of the donkeys that plow the vineyard (the other is called Hugo, by the way). What we love about the variety is waiting in the glass: yeasty-reductive seasoning, nuances of almond butter and light hazelnut, white balsamic vinegar (which doesn't bother us!), Tonka bean, super noble wood and a good apple tart with lemon cream. Smoky, classy, chalky and ultra animating, bitter juiciness, drinks in no time for freaks and newcomers.

The Arco of Celine Gormally comes from the domaine’s somewhat younger Savagnin vines: the parcel in La Chaux near Nevy-sur-Seille is around thirty years old (some vintners in Germany call this “old vines”). They grow there on stony, barren limestone soils that Celine and Steve can only cultivate with the help of two donkeys.

It is the coarse pebbles in La Chaux that - as the name suggests - store the heat of the day and allow the grapes to ripen reliably. The lime also helps the vines to maintain the wonderful acidity of the variety. The Arco is a Savagnin ouillé, so it is made entirely without flor yeast. After fermentation, it remains in neutral barrels for about 18 months.
Sulfur is used in Les Dolomies only minimally - and only when the year requires it.