Les Raisins Suspendus

Village:
Embruns
Appellation:
1.5 ha
Vin de France (Hautes Alpes)
Grower:
Angela Weidner and Maxime Aerts

In 2020, Angela Weidner and Maxime Aerts, having recently assembled in 2018 three hectares of vines in the forested hills near the village of Saint-Alexandre in the Gard region of the Southern Rhone, began to explore a new terroir, the Hautes-Alpes, to create a second domaine, Les Raisins Suspendus.

For mountain lovers Maxime and Angela, it was above all the climatic conditions and geological profile of the region that won them over, where they could create wines that reflect their personality.

They embarked on the challenge to restore plots of vines, most of which are centuries old and abandoned by their owners, life-long Hautes-Alpes residents who until recently cultivated their plots to make their own wine. While trying to identify all the grape varieties present in these planted vines, Maxime and Angela are also working on more recent plots, with some rather surprising mountain Chardonnays and Merlots.

Nestled between 800 and 1000 metres above sea level, on hillsides overlooking the Durance, these plots are made up of mainly limestone soils, composed of marl and alluvium inherited from the last great glaciation.

Considering the vineyards as a fully-fledged, living ecosystem, they work organically, making grass their ally, harvesting the grapes by hand, and making wine without artifice.

In 2022 and 2023, they planted 1.5 hectares of vines in Embrun on the slopes of the Durance with a selection of native grape varieties, including Mollard, or those from neighboring Alpine regions, such as Petite Arvine and Mondeuse Blanche.

 

 

 

Embruns des Cimes

Embruns de Cimes is a light red wine, mineral and fruity from grapes grown in schist soils. It is a mix of 32 old grapes varieties, ranging from 70 to 100 years old, including Mollard, Espanenc, Grand Noir de la Calmette, Barbaroux, Grec Rose, Alicante and many more. The vines are planted at extremely high altitudes, 900 meters on average. Yields are very low at 12hl/Ha. Half of the grapes are direct pressed and half remain whole cluster. A one week maceration in stainless steel retains the minerality and acidity typical to the alpine climate. The result is an engaging and refreshing wine at just 11% vol.

Region: Savoie • Bugey • Hautes Alpes

The wines of Savoie are produced in the departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie with a small slice of the Seyssel appellation in the Ain. In ancient times this region was part of the Pays des Allobroges, and wines from this region were mentioned by the historians Columelle and Pline as already being known by the Romans before their occupation of Gaul began around 25 BCE. After the Roman occupation, the Savoie vineyards followed the typically French narrative of ownership, passing from church to aristocracy to bourgeoisie and finally in the 19th century being broken up among the local farmers...

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The appellations of the Savoie are spread throughout the numerous mountains, foothills, valleys and lakes of this alpine landscape and form a complex network of terroirs whose nomenclature, no doubt in the interest of clarity, the French government has made almost incomprehensible.