SAVOIE SECRET 🤫 (DOMAINE H)

Source note: This post is adapted from Parched's September 17, 2026 newsletter

Hey,

Still living my best life in Italy. This remote working from vineyards is something I could get used to. It's business as usual in my absence though, and we've got plenty of wine to keep you entertained.

I like to taste wine, but I like to know I'm not wasting my time. There is a lot of wine out there, and not all of it good. So I'm pretty careful about when to taste and what to taste. That said, when unpacking a box of samples for the restaurant team, I saw a few gems in there and knew this was one I needed to piggyback onto. Mainly as there was a mysteriously named Domaine H in the case.

The domaine has been in my peripheral vision since a sip taken in Lyon, years ago. The wine was very good. It seems this domaine is quietly going under the radar, but most likely not for long. Sukhwan Ha was originally a somm in Lyon, notably winning a Michelin star for Le Passe-Temps. The now-closed restaurant was one of the first to be recognised by the Michelin men for its natural-leaning wine list and Korean-inspired cooking.

He later launched an import business in Korea, bringing key names to his home market including Overnoy, Octavin, Pascal Côtat and Thierry Allemand, to name but a few. When Covid closed the restaurant, he retrained via Beaune before using his connections to grab an internship with Manu Houillon and Pierre Overnoy. Then, when an organically farmed estate in Chignin, Savoie, just down the road, became available, he went for it.

The slopes here are steep, on calcareous soils at 400m above sea level. The farming has now implemented some biodynamic practices, the 2024s are released without added sulphites, and several whites saw élevage in used barrels sourced from producers such as Pascal Côtat. Cool.

Jacquère is the entry level, and is priced so incredibly well I almost thought it was a typo. It's Alpine wine at its most cooling and fresh. Crystalline and clean, we get citrus, mountain herbs and a lovely steely finish. A perfect apéro that over delivers on both its sheer effortlessness and its complexity.

The Crémant matches this in a more fizzing form. It's got the most beautiful, textured label too. Mainly Jacquère, so again crisp orchard fruit, but boosted by a bit of Altesse bringing body, brioche and biscuity notes. Again, the pricing is superb. We stock a lot of great Crémant but this has jumped straight into pole position. Brut Nature, so suitably racy.

His work with Roussanne, locally named Bergeron, is where he really excels. Here in Chignin, the Alpine terroir brings a much needed lift and freshness to a grape that's often lacking a bit of acid. He shows the grape in a more mineral form, tense but still golden and showing some glycerol-like ripeness. Georges shows fruit weight and density on the palate, yet is still poised and fresh thanks to a cool vintage and the Alpine altitude. Compard sees another selection of vines that shows a bit more spice and salt. Again, there's a nice marriage of intensity and freshness. Roussanne is so underrated; these are thumping examples of what it can achieve in capable hands, and perfect autumnal whites.

Considering Sukhwan is still so early in his wine journey, and the fact that these are made without additions, it's remarkable the precision and clarity he has managed to show in the wines. These punch way above their humble price tags. The Savoie might not command the feverish hype of neighbouring Jura, but I'd be getting acquainted with these before the market catches up. A great new discovery.

Ok, G2G indulge in the local delicacy of cavallo. Tough life eh!

Ciao,
Fionn