Domaine Carrel & Senger - Crémant de Savoie La Réserve d’Eugène Cuvée n°41

Eugène Carrel’s estate was taken over by his son Olivier, who has been in partnership since 2022 with Thomas Senger, a thirty-something Parisian who cut his teeth at LVMH. While Olivier wanted to produce “the world’s greatest wine with elegance” on the terroirs of Jongieux and the Marestel cru, he had the passion but not quite the resources. Thomas arrived with significant investment capital (a new winery, wine tourism) and genuine expertise (marketing, pricing). Olivier is now assisted by Clémence Badoux and acquired temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks in 2023. The wine lineup is very well-crafted and designed to appeal to a wide audience. Ideas are flowing, and the estate is thriving.

Everything you look for in a Crémant can be found in this superb bottle, made from Jacquère (60%), Chardonnay (20%), and Pinot (20%): the first brings anise and citrus freshness, the second offers aromas of peach and pear, and the third adds ripe fruit and roundness. Made from the 2018 harvest—a sunny vintage—and aged for an extended period on racks, this magnificent, very harmonious sparkling wine, with its abundant foam and persistent bead, reaches new heights.

A trusted name in the Savoy wine region, producing both white and red wines, this estate was founded by the Carrel family, who have been winemakers from father to son since 1830—spanning six generations. Specialized in the 1970s by Eugène Carrel and led by his son Olivier starting in 1994, the estate—with its 33 hectares situated on the steep slopes of Mont de la Charvaz and Mont du Chat—was taken over in 2022 by Thomas Senger, a young entrepreneur native to Savoie and a wine enthusiast.

Warm notes of apple, spices, and lemon zest dominate this delicious sparkling wine with its slightly bitter notes. Its lively acidity is balanced by a pleasant richness and a subtle hint of brioche. A chalky minerality lingers in the full-bodied finish. Jacquère, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay.