2023 l'Alpage - Chasselas La Cote (750ml)

L'Alpage is a custom cuvée created by the noted importer Eric Solomon, designed to capture the pure minerality and refreshing character of Chasselas, Switzerland's signature white grape. The wine was originally sourced from vineyards in the Valais, where it was labeled under the local name Fendant, before a shift with the 2020 vintage brought the project to a plot in Mont-sur-Rolle, in the La Côte region of Vaud.

Mont-sur-Rolle sits along the shores of Lac Léman with sweeping views toward the Alps, giving the vineyard's name, which translates roughly to alpine pasture, a fitting sense of place. Chasselas here benefits from the moderating influence of the lake and the surrounding mountain backdrop, producing a wine built around freshness and precision rather than overt fruit or weight.

The result is a friendly, thirst-quenching white with bright mineral character and clean acidity, the kind of wine suited to a day spent hiking or snowshoeing in the surrounding hills. It shows the citrus and subtle floral notes typical of well made Chasselas, finishing crisp and easy to drink. It pairs naturally with cave-aged Gruyère, raclette, or a classic Swiss fondue.