Domaine Hauvette "Jaspe" Alpilles Blanc '24

It's hard not to be captivated by the Alpilles. The mountains in this range may not reach particularly noteworthy heights, but their twisted, dramatic crags have been preserved on canvas in Van Gogh's Starry Night and in the minds of local and visitor alike.

Dominique Hauvette lives and farms in the foothills of the range. A relative latecomer to the game, she left her previous career to focus on raising both vines and horses, and very quickly adopted the ethos of biodynamics. In the winery, she favors concrete eggs for aging, a method that keeps the wine in perpetual motion, indicative of the old adage that not only the grapes, but the wine itself, is a living creature, in a state of constant evolution.

Jaspe is a pure varietal Rousanne, with the expected vivid floral perfume, but also a beautiful balance between fresh stone fruit and a flinty minerality that shows in the glass Dominique's attention to the osmosis between the fruit and soil in her vineyards.