Domaine Belluard
Savoie
Do you remember the last time you drank a wine made from Gringet? If you do, chances are it came from Domaine Belluard. That's because Belluard grows almost half of all the Gringet in the world. That may sound like a lot but considering Belluard has only 12 hectares of vines, including some tiny amounts of Mondeuse, there really isn't much Gringet available.
If you haven't had Gringet before, it is a variety unique to the Savoie region. There has been speculation that it is related to Savignin or perhaps Traminer but such thoeries have recently been disproved. Exactly where it originated is still unclear but it can be said the grape is unique to this alpine region and it is of an ancient sort.
Dominique Belluard strives not only to allow the unique Gringet variety to fully express itself with unencumbered purity, but also to emphasize the area where it is grown in the high alpes. Biodynamic farming is done to in an attempt to achieve perfect balance in the plants. In the cellar, Dominique is constantly experimenting and making gradual refinements. After determining steel tanks weren't allowing the wine to breathe enough and wooden vessels were imparting too much of their own imprint on the wines, now the still Gringet cuvees are raised in concrete egg-shaped vessels which allow some exposure to air, due to their porosity, yet retain the neutral aromatic characteristics of stainless steel.
