Description

Roger Labbe’s Abymes is 100% Jacquère, a varietal that grows especially well in the Savoie region of France. While the appellation tolerates 10% of other grape varieties, Labbe chooses to feature the purity of this varietal in this bottling. The soil is mostly argilo/calcaire with some 2 inch stones – debris from years of avalanches from the Alps. Labbe and his team control yields by strategically de-budding vines in the spring. This labor intensive practice is rare to find at this price point. Grass grows in the rows between the vines to fertilize and oxygenate the soil – this practice also forces the vines’ root systems to go deeper for nourishment and soak up the terroir of the subsoil. Vinification practices preserve both varietal typicity and freshness – the cellar temperature is controlled, and indigenous yeasts are used in fermentation. Labbe uses only non-reactive tanks and foudres for aging.