Jean-Yves Peron Cotillon des Dames Reserve 2022

Jean-Yves Peron Cotillon des Dames Reserve 2022

Jean-Yves Peron
$54.00

Grape: Altesse, Jacquère
Vintage: 2022
Type: Orange

This skin-contact orange wine is an alpine blend of altesse and jacquère crafted by low-intervention winemaker Jean-Yves Péron in Savoie. The fruit is hand-harvested from steep terraced vineyards rooted deeply in complex schist soils that naturally restrict vine yields. The winemaking involves an extended whole-bunch skin maceration inside neutral open tuns, relying entirely on native wild yeasts for spontaneous fermentation. It matures naturally on its fine fermentation lees in old wood barrels without filtration or added sulfur.

It pours a golden-yellow color with clear clarity, releasing delicate aromatics of mountain flowers, citrus peel, and distinctive mineral notes. A medium-bodied, texturally driven frame pairs stone fruit flavors with a distinct, tea-like tannin structure from the skin contact. A gentle phenolic grip frames mid-palate cleanly, balanced by a sharp beam of alpine acidity. Savory flavors of white peach and wild herbs add depth across the textured mouthfeel. It finishes dry and saline.

Winery

Jean-Yves Péron began working his own small parcels near Albertville in 2004, building a project around the steep vineyards and local varieties of Savoie. After studying biochemistry, he turned to wine, training in Bordeaux and gaining experience with Thierry Allemand in Cornas and Bruno Schueller in Alsace. His mountain vineyards around Conflans and Fréterive include old vines worked by hand, with biodynamic practices and a rich surrounding vegetation supporting the health of the sites.

Mondeuse, Jacquère, Altesse and other local grapes are interpreted through an approach that often gives skin contact an important role, including for whites. Whole-cluster fermentations, indigenous yeasts and restrained handling carry the vineyard philosophy into the cellar. The I Vicini range extends the work through organically grown purchased grapes, including fruit from northern Italy. Those wines add Cortese, Barbera and other varieties to the picture without abandoning the project’s curiosity about maceration and aging. Péron’s range presents the Alps as a source of complex, textural wines with identities far beyond a simple notion of mountain freshness.