“Glacier Water” From Savoie

My story with Martine’s Wines starts with Domaine des Ardoisières. Many years ago, I worked at a wine shop on the Upper West Side that sold their Argile Blanc. My colleague described it as “glacier water,” and once I tasted it, I agreed it was the perfect description. Bright, high-toned, linear, and incredibly fresh, it had a stony quality that really did feel like it could have trickled straight off the side of the Alps. If a wine could be thirst-quenching, this would be it.

I looked at the back label, saw Martine’s Wines, and started digging into the rest of the portfolio. One bottle led to another, and the rest is history. All these years later, the Argile Blanc is still one of my got-tos. It’s also one of those rare bottles I can pull out for just about anyone, and it always seems to be a hit.

For generations, Savoie’s wines were largely a local affair, poured in mountain villages and as après drinks at ski resorts, but rarely traveling far beyond the region. What the locals had long embraced took the broader wine world a little longer to discover. Today, Savoie has emerged as one of France’s most exciting sources of high-altitude whites, with Domaine des Ardoisières playing a major role in that shift. The domaine was born from an effort to reclaim long-abandoned vineyard terraces on steep, rocky Alpine slopes, where elevation and cool mountain air give the wines their signature freshness and mineral character. We now see Ardoisières on top restaurant lists alongside Chablis, Puligny-Montrachet, and Condrieu, with a cult following that has spread well beyond Savoie.

This week, we have the newly arrived 2025 Argile Blanc alongside its red counterpart, Argile Rouge. The Blanc blends Jacquère, Chardonnay, and Mondeuse Blanche, with all the freshness and precision that first drew me to the wine, balanced by just enough texture. Years later, “glacier water” still feels like the perfect description. The Rouge brings together Gamay, Mondeuse Noire, and Persan for a more savory expression that remains vibrant and light on its feet.

Together, they offer two distinct expressions of what makes Ardoisières so compelling and two wines I’m always excited to drink.

The Quick Sip

The Domaine: Revived in 1998 when a group of local supporters began clearing and restoring long-abandoned vineyard terraces in the French Alps. Champagne native Brice Omont took over in 2005 and has since become one of Savoie’s leading producers.

The Vineyards: Just 17 acres across Cevins and Saint-Pierre-de-Soucy, planted on incredibly steep, rocky Alpine slopes. The domaine works primarily with varieties native to Savoie, including Jacquère, Altesse, Mondeuse, and Persan.

The Farming: The domaine has used biodynamic principles since the vineyards were replanted, with much of the work done by hand due to the extreme slopes. Ardoisières has become one of France’s leaders in biodynamics.

The Cellar: Native yeast fermentations and a minimal-intervention approach. No sulfur is added during vinification, with only a small addition at bottling.