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Domaine Dominique Belluard

2010 Domaine Dominique Belluard, Le Feu, Vin de Savoie

France Gringet Savoie Vin de Savoie 750ML

Wine Advocate

93

CellarTracker

89
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2010 Domaine Dominique Belluard, Le Feu, Vin de Savoie
Domaine Dominique Belluard

2010 Domaine Dominique Belluard, Le Feu, Vin de Savoie

France Gringet Savoie Vin de Savoie 750ML

Wine Advocate

93

CellarTracker

89
/
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The late Dominique Belluard was a humble master of the Gringet (grahn-ZHAY) grape, a varietal which he quickly discovered was almost extinct outside of his family's land. Through his own vine nursery he created the largest selection of the grape perhaps in the world, and successfully made several monovarietal wines from the grape.

Domaine Dominique Belluard

Dominique's work carries on posthumously in the form of Domaine du Gringet

Sadly, we lost the great Dominique during the pandemic, bringing an unfortunate close to nearly 35 years at the helm of his family's estate. When he took over in 1988, the domaine was not entirely focused on grapes, with various crops and some dairy cows all part of the equation. Ever the student, Dominique chose to focus on the vines exclusively, and in particular in a native variety called Gringet.

As so many similarly thoughtful winemakers have done, Dominique chose to elevate the health of his vineyard with a focus on biodynamic methods; despite the cold (and close proximity to the Mont Blanc), he kept his vines trained close to the ground to grasp every last degree of warmth they could, despite the risk of mildew. The iron-rich soils absorbed a good amount of heat from the sun when it appeared, and his wines show ample ripeness.

Gringet, the grape that makes up nearly the entirety of his family land is unique - picture it somewhere between Sauvignon Blanc - the brightness, the green streak and tendency to produce honeyed flavors when ripe - and Chenin Blanc - the textural character, the way it shows lees-y flavors easily, and a bit of that lanolin hint. The structure is such that it should age well, particularly given the incredible attention to vineyard health, and some older examples show similar qualities to aged Chablis.

Perhaps what drew attention to the Belluard wines were the fine sparkling wines he crafted from 100% Gringet in the Champagne method. The wines spend about 2 years on the lees and have more than ample body, texture and expression. The still wines show both freshness and structure to age, and are generally made in vessels designed to suspend the lees so that batonnage is not needed, while the wines display the same texture as though batonnage had been performed, without tasting overtly of yeast.

It seems the domaine will stay in the family, with a new winemaker brought on who grasps the importance of tradition and carrying on the legacy; as such, the future bottlings will bear the name of Belluard's love child: Domaine de Gringet.

With two years on the lees, the Ayze Les Perles du Mont Blanc (2018) is reminiscent of fine Champagnes but with Gringet's trademark green streak, spice and citrus flavors. Monsieur Gringet is as texturally gripping as a top Chablis, with crystalline minerality and length to the finish. The 2020 Eponyme, a wine that was finished by Jean-Francois Ganevat, a close friend of the family, is entirely Gringet, a slightly riper wine, showcasing white fruits, pears and a delightful salty mineral touch. Les Alpes showcases the brilliant freshness of Gringet, with dried apricot, lime zest and a fleshier palate.

Meet the Producer

Domaine Dominique Belluard

The late Dominique Belluard was a humble master of the Gringet (grahn-ZHAY) grape, a varietal which he quickly discovered was almost extinct outside of his family's land. Through his own vine nursery he created the largest selection of the grape perhaps in the world, and successfully made several monovarietal wines from the grape.

Dominique's work carries on posthumously in the form of Domaine du Gringet

Sadly, we lost the great Dominique during the pandemic, bringing an unfortunate close to nearly 35 years at the helm of his family's estate. When he took over in 1988, the domaine was not entirely focused on grapes, with various crops and some dairy cows all part of the equation. Ever the student, Dominique chose to focus on the vines exclusively, and in particular in a native variety called Gringet.

As so many similarly thoughtful winemakers have done, Dominique chose to elevate the health of his vineyard with a focus on biodynamic methods; despite the cold (and close proximity to the Mont Blanc), he kept his vines trained close to the ground to grasp every last degree of warmth they could, despite the risk of mildew. The iron-rich soils absorbed a good amount of heat from the sun when it appeared, and his wines show ample ripeness.

Gringet, the grape that makes up nearly the entirety of his family land is unique - picture it somewhere between Sauvignon Blanc - the brightness, the green streak and tendency to produce honeyed flavors when ripe - and Chenin Blanc - the textural character, the way it shows lees-y flavors easily, and a bit of that lanolin hint. The structure is such that it should age well, particularly given the incredible attention to vineyard health, and some older examples show similar qualities to aged Chablis.

Perhaps what drew attention to the Belluard wines were the fine sparkling wines he crafted from 100% Gringet in the Champagne method. The wines spend about 2 years on the lees and have more than ample body, texture and expression. The still wines show both freshness and structure to age, and are generally made in vessels designed to suspend the lees so that batonnage is not needed, while the wines display the same texture as though batonnage had been performed, without tasting overtly of yeast.

It seems the domaine will stay in the family, with a new winemaker brought on who grasps the importance of tradition and carrying on the legacy; as such, the future bottlings will bear the name of Belluard's love child: Domaine de Gringet.

With two years on the lees, the Ayze Les Perles du Mont Blanc (2018) is reminiscent of fine Champagnes but with Gringet's trademark green streak, spice and citrus flavors. Monsieur Gringet is as texturally gripping as a top Chablis, with crystalline minerality and length to the finish. The 2020 Eponyme, a wine that was finished by Jean-Francois Ganevat, a close friend of the family, is entirely Gringet, a slightly riper wine, showcasing white fruits, pears and a delightful salty mineral touch. Les Alpes showcases the brilliant freshness of Gringet, with dried apricot, lime zest and a fleshier palate.

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

93

Issuing from his steepest holdings, which are dominated by red clay glacial sediment, Belluard’s 2010 Le Feu offers a level of richness (albeit still at 12.5% alcohol) that goes well beyond that of the corresponding Les Alpes. White peach and fresh figs are ripely signaled in the nose and lusciously present on a lushly-textured palate. But here too, there are fascinating notes of lentil sprouts, toasted peanuts, bittersweet iris perfume, and myriad stony, smoky and crystalline mineral incursions that set up a delightfully dynamic interchange with fruits, flowers, and legumes in a long, shimmering finish. There is a remarkable sense of transparency, buoyancy, and energy here for a wine that tastes so ripe. I feel confident that it will remain exciting for at least 6-8 years. For most of the 19th century, the name “Ayse” (or “Ayze”) on a bottle was a sign of uniquely high-quality (particularly sparkling) wine rendered from diverse cepages including Mondeuse and Persan but especially the white grape Gringet, a late- and irregular-ripener whose lineage is shrouded in mystery – like many Alpine varieties tied to tall tales of faraway places – but which has recently been demonstrated by Swiss vine geneticist Jose Vouillamoz to be unrelated to any other well-known cepage and almost certainly of local origin. The post-phylloxera, post-World War I decline of these rocky moraine and chalk-clay (by Alpine standards gentle) slopes overlooking the Arve River halfway between Geneva and Mont Blanc is not dissimilar to that of many once-renowned French wine growing sectors, and in this instance both the vineyards and the Gringet nearly died out. Patrick Belluard has made it his life’s work to rescue both, though surely no one including him could have imagined just what their synergy might ultimately amount to in bottle. Not to leave you in suspense, it amounts to some of the most remarkable not to mention improbable vinous excitement and promise I have witnessed anywhere in France during the past decade. I first tasted Belluard’s wines from the 2003 vintage – an oddball nearly everywhere, but here resulting in something delicious and unusual. This did not, however, prepare me for the intrigue let alone beauty and polish I experienced when I visited Belluard last November, a result he credits not only to generally greater know-how and an increasingly clear vinous vision, but especially to a biodynamic conversion completed in 2005. And who know but that Gringet might prove a vine singularly suited to our time, as the evidence suggests that here is one grape – tardy and irregular though its ripeness may be – that doesn’t accumulate sugar faster than flavor! Of 54 remaining acres in Gringet, Belluard now farms 30, most of the rest being split among very small landholders who sell in bulk for production of sparkling wine (now protected by an Ayze sub-appellation) or make wine as a hobby. His share of sparkling is 60% but he intends to level of at half. After frustrating experiences with barrels masking the purity of flavors that he takes such pains to preserve (inter alia employing a basket press), Belluard became one of the earliest proponents of vinification in concrete “eggs” which he commenced in 2005 and for his still wines now uses almost exclusively, though amphora have recently entered the picture. Faced with a time shortage and not wishing to excessively prevail on Belluard’s generosity (we met late one evening because it was the only chance I had to pass anywhere nearby his estate) I intuitively chose as my point of comparison with 2010, 2008 – which, Belluard opined, was an even more challenging vintage – and when he offered to open one more bottle I wisely (as it turned out) chose 2006 over 2005.

What the Critics are Saying

The Wine Advocate

Wine Advocate

93

Issuing from his steepest holdings, which are dominated by red clay glacial sediment, Belluard’s 2010 Le Feu offers a level of richness (albeit still at 12.5% alcohol) that goes well beyond that of the corresponding Les Alpes. White peach and fresh figs are ripely signaled in the nose and lusciously present on a lushly-textured palate. But here too, there are fascinating notes of lentil sprouts, toasted peanuts, bittersweet iris perfume, and myriad stony, smoky and crystalline mineral incursions that set up a delightfully dynamic interchange with fruits, flowers, and legumes in a long, shimmering finish. There is a remarkable sense of transparency, buoyancy, and energy here for a wine that tastes so ripe. I feel confident that it will remain exciting for at least 6-8 years. For most of the 19th century, the name “Ayse” (or “Ayze”) on a bottle was a sign of uniquely high-quality (particularly sparkling) wine rendered from diverse cepages including Mondeuse and Persan but especially the white grape Gringet, a late- and irregular-ripener whose lineage is shrouded in mystery – like many Alpine varieties tied to tall tales of faraway places – but which has recently been demonstrated by Swiss vine geneticist Jose Vouillamoz to be unrelated to any other well-known cepage and almost certainly of local origin. The post-phylloxera, post-World War I decline of these rocky moraine and chalk-clay (by Alpine standards gentle) slopes overlooking the Arve River halfway between Geneva and Mont Blanc is not dissimilar to that of many once-renowned French wine growing sectors, and in this instance both the vineyards and the Gringet nearly died out. Patrick Belluard has made it his life’s work to rescue both, though surely no one including him could have imagined just what their synergy might ultimately amount to in bottle. Not to leave you in suspense, it amounts to some of the most remarkable not to mention improbable vinous excitement and promise I have witnessed anywhere in France during the past decade. I first tasted Belluard’s wines from the 2003 vintage – an oddball nearly everywhere, but here resulting in something delicious and unusual. This did not, however, prepare me for the intrigue let alone beauty and polish I experienced when I visited Belluard last November, a result he credits not only to generally greater know-how and an increasingly clear vinous vision, but especially to a biodynamic conversion completed in 2005. And who know but that Gringet might prove a vine singularly suited to our time, as the evidence suggests that here is one grape – tardy and irregular though its ripeness may be – that doesn’t accumulate sugar faster than flavor! Of 54 remaining acres in Gringet, Belluard now farms 30, most of the rest being split among very small landholders who sell in bulk for production of sparkling wine (now protected by an Ayze sub-appellation) or make wine as a hobby. His share of sparkling is 60% but he intends to level of at half. After frustrating experiences with barrels masking the purity of flavors that he takes such pains to preserve (inter alia employing a basket press), Belluard became one of the earliest proponents of vinification in concrete “eggs” which he commenced in 2005 and for his still wines now uses almost exclusively, though amphora have recently entered the picture. Faced with a time shortage and not wishing to excessively prevail on Belluard’s generosity (we met late one evening because it was the only chance I had to pass anywhere nearby his estate) I intuitively chose as my point of comparison with 2010, 2008 – which, Belluard opined, was an even more challenging vintage – and when he offered to open one more bottle I wisely (as it turned out) chose 2006 over 2005.