Corentin Houillon

(Savoie, France)

I think it’s fair to say that most of the people that I drink wine with, and myself included—let’s call us the natty curious of the mid 2010s—learned about the Savoie through the wines of either Jean Yves Peron or Dominique Belluard, a pair of winemakers that in my mind represent two different stylistic poles of the area, but at the same time remain agreeable to all camps of palate. While JYP represents the more experimental side of the Savoie with his long maceration techniques, the late Belluard’s deeply glacial and mineral wines were far more classical, but always undeniable to anyone excited by nature wine, making one forget about the nearby Jura with the first sniff and sip of any of his bottles. To me, Corentin Houillon’s domaine, while certainly young in its career, feels a bit like the both of these aesthetics colliding in a new way that feels timeless yet fresh. Corentin’s overall approach comes from a place of the classics—mostly pressed whites, macerated reds, but always a bit of mineral tension to keep things more than interesting. Zenith is the outlier here—a maceration of both Jacquere and Altesse that doesn’t go as extreme as Peron, but is all the better for it in its pure elegance. Beautiful wines to enjoy now, but to also keep for the hopefully not, inevitable moment when we all get priced out.

Veronnet Rouge 2021
Gamay
$29

Vieux Foug 2021
Gamay
$36

Montée Furieuse 2021
Jacquere
$36

Arcane 2021
Pinot Noir
$39

Cosmos 2021
Mondeuse
$39

Zenith 2021
Jacquere / Altesse
$39