Marcelle Pinot Gris 2023 Adrien Berlioz

The Marcelle Pinot Gris 2023 from Domaine Adrien Berlioz is one of the most original and unexpected cuvées from this exceptional Savoyard domaine. Adrien Berlioz honours his family ancestors by naming his cuvées after their first names. Marcelle, like her sisters Octavie and Marie Clothilde, carries the name of a great-grandmother with the same affection and rigour. This Pinot Gris, known locally as Malvoisie, is crafted with delicacy and care. The cuvée distingues itself through beautiful bitter notes, tension, and balance. A real success.

The varietal and terroir

Marcelle is a parcellaire of 15-year-old Pinot Gris planted on clay-limestone soils. The vines grow at the lieu-dit Les Cray in Chignin, on marly soils. In Savoie, Pinot Gris is commonly called Malvoisie, a term that once referred to rich and perfumed wines from Greek muscat varieties, before becoming fixed on this Burgundian varietal established on Savoyard slopes. Its berries, with their grey-pink tinged skin, are particularly rich in natural sugars, giving the wines an opulence and natural generosity. For the 2023 vintage, Adrien chose skin contact to moderate the high sugar levels natural to the varietal. Usually vinified as a white wine, the 2022 and 2023 vintages underwent skin contact, unlike earlier harvests. Fermentation with indigenous yeasts, no additives, ageing on fine lees in stainless steel and demi-muids. The wine is unfiltered, unfined, and minimal sulphur added.

Tasting profile

The colour is pale yellow and bright. The nose is expressive, evoking ripe yellow and white fruits, honey, and butter. The palate is round and generous, with rich and almost fat texture, fortunately balanced by unexpected freshness that brings lift and tension. On the finish, a lovely interplay of bitterness and astringency prevents any heaviness. Noble bitter notes dominate the long finish. A Pinot Gris that stands apart from the ordinary. The 2023 skin contact brings a subtle copper hue and fine tannin texture that enriches the aromatic profile and adds depth and complexity while taming the natural richness of the varietal.

The domaine

Marcelle is classified IGP Vin des Allobroges. The grower sometimes produces this wine as a white, or lets the grapes macerate, making an orange wine. Adrien Berlioz is a true Savoyard, cousin of the emblematic grower Gilles Berlioz, full of talent and drive. Stubborn, meticulous and attentive, this self-taught vigneron has built, since 2006, a small-scale domaine of 5.5 hectares spread across 13 parcels, all situated in Chignin. Certified organic since 2012 and Demeter biodynamic since 2020.

Food pairings

Diots with Savoie Pinot Gris. This wine works as an aperitif but pairs beautifully with fish or Savoyard cheeses such as Tomme de Savoie or Emmental. It will also suit roasted langoustines with tarragon butter, sautéed foie gras escalope with yellow fruits, poultry terrine with wild mushrooms, or risotto with aged Beaufort. Serve between 10 and 12 °C to reveal the generous fruitiness, mineral tension, and beautiful bitter notes of an original and sincere Savoyard Pinot Gris.