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Cellier Des Cray

Suzanne Mondeuse 2016

Price: $28.95
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Tasting notes

Suzanne delivers the full Mondeuse signature in a natural wine context: sour cherry and black pepper upfront, a savory bitter-almond finish, and the kind of snappy acidity that makes you reach for the next glass. The acacia barrel aging adds texture without masking the alpine freshness that makes this grape worth seeking out.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Sour CherryBlack PepperVioletBitter Almond
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; deep purple; sour cherry, black pepper, violet; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Mondeuse Noire; Demeter biodynamic and Ecocert organic; calcareous-clay soils with rock scree; lieu-dit Les Viviers, Chignin; 390m elevation
  • Winemaking: Manual harvest; native yeast fermentation in stainless steel; aged in acacia barrels; unfined, unfiltered; low sulfite addition at bottling
  • Serving: Serve at 54-58F; 20-30 min decant optional; large-bowled red wine glass
  • Pairing: Roasted lamb, duck confit, venison, Beaufort, Gruyere de Savoie, charcuterie
  • Similar To: For fans of Trousseau, Poulsard, and lighter Syrah who want alpine terroir and high natural acidity

Suzanne Mondeuse is a 100% Mondeuse Noire from Adrien Berlioz's Cellier des Cray estate in Chignin, a village in the Vin de Savoie AOC roughly 13km southeast of Chambery. The vineyards sit in the lieu-dit Les Viviers at approximately 390 meters above sea level, on calcareous-clay soils covered with loose rock scree, with some slopes reaching 50% incline. All work is done by hand — a tractor is impractical on terrain this steep.

The estate has been certified organic by Ecocert since 2012 and is also Demeter-certified biodynamic. Grapes are harvested manually, fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks, then aged in acacia barrels. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered, with only a low addition of sulfites at bottling.

Mondeuse Noire is an ancient alpine grape indigenous to Savoie and genetically related to Syrah through a parent-offspring relationship with Mondeuse Blanche. It produces wines with deep purple color, vibrant acidity, and moderate tannins, with an aromatic profile centered on sour cherry, black pepper, and violet. At 13% ABV and coming from a cool continental climate, Suzanne stays fresh and food-driven rather than heavy.

Adrien Berlioz named this cuvee Suzanne after a person who shaped his life, following his practice of linking each wine to someone meaningful. The 2016 vintage shows the variety's characteristic peppery lift alongside bitter cherry and a savory, spice-driven mid-palate.

Mondeuse's peppery acidity and bitter-cherry finish work well against fatty, herb-seasoned meats: roasted lamb with rosemary, duck confit, or venison. The savory mid-palate also handles aged mountain cheeses like Beaufort or Gruyere de Savoie well. Avoid very tannic or heavily spiced dishes that will compete with the grape's natural peppery character.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Mondeuse
Farming:, Organic and Biodynamic
Vintage:, 2016
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, France
Region:, Savoie
Appellation:, Vin de Savoie AOC
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


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If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


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Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Cellier Des Cray

Adrien Berlioz took over the family estate Cellier des Cray in early 2006 in the village of Chignin, roughly 13km southeast of Chambery. He is the son of a winegrower and cousin of Gilles Berlioz, another respected Chignin producer. The domaine started with vineyards belonging to his father Joseph and has grown over time; current sources indicate between 4.5 and 6.5 hectares depending on the year, with the core plots in a lieu-dit called Les Viviers at approximately 390 meters elevation. The estate now works around 13 defined parcel units, each vinified separately to express its specific microterroir.

Cellier des Cray has been certified organic by Ecocert since 2012 and has since added Demeter biodynamic certification. All vineyard work is done by hand; slopes reaching 50% incline make mechanical cultivation impractical in many parcels. Soils at Chignin are calcareous clay with glacial moraine influence and a surface layer of loose rock scree. Adrien grows Mondeuse Noire and Persan for reds, and Jacquere, Roussanne, Altesse, Pinot Gris, and Malvoisie for whites — a full range of Savoie's indigenous varieties.

In the cellar, grapes are harvested manually and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The Suzanne Mondeuse is then aged in acacia barrels before being bottled unfined and unfiltered, with a low addition of sulfites at bottling. Each cuvee at Cellier des Cray is named after a person meaningful to Adrien, a personal practice that runs through the entire range.

Wine region

Savoie, France

Savoie sits in far eastern France at the foot of the Alps, bordered by Switzerland to the east and the Rhone River to the west. The region covers roughly 2,000 to 2,150 hectares of vineyards spread across four departments: Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Isere, and Ain. Vineyards are typically planted on steep south-facing slopes between 250 and 550 meters above sea level, though some sites reach higher. The climate is continental with alpine and Mediterranean influences: cold winters, warm summers, and significant diurnal temperature swings that preserve acidity and aromatic intensity. Lakes Bourget, Annecy, and Geneva moderate temperature extremes across different subzones. Soils are primarily calcareous, with glacial moraines, clay-limestone blends, and loose scree depending on the site.

Savoie has three PDOs: Vin de Savoie, Roussette de Savoie (for 100% Altesse), and Seyssel. Vin de Savoie, created in 1973, is the broadest designation and includes 17 named crus appended to the label for wines from specific villages, among them Chignin, Apremont, Abymes, Arbin, and Jongieux. Red wines account for a minority of production and are based primarily on Mondeuse Noire, Gamay, and Pinot Noir. Mondeuse performs best on the region's limestone-scree terroirs at lower to mid elevations with good southern exposure. The Arbin cru, covering roughly 60 hectares, is considered the benchmark site for varietal Mondeuse. White wines make up around 70% of regional production, dominated by Jacquere, Altesse, and Roussanne (sold as Chignin-Bergeron).

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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