2010 Domaine Belluard Gringet Vin de Savoie Les Alpes
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Alpine
Dear Friends,
This parcel just arrived prior to close and it’s like greeting an old friend at the door, ushering them in from the cold and brushing little patches of snow off their well-worn coat. Shivering, tired and in need of sustenance, you hand them a glass of this...an even colder experience that warms their heart.
If you could capture that essence in a bottle of wine (melting snow and all), it would be Belluard’s 2010 Vin de Savoie “Les Alpes” - one of the most important wines we offer every winter.
As with all of the Belluard wines, I'm almost hesitant to say much as this winery has among the oldest (from a loyalty standpoint) and most rabid fans of any of our core producers. The rainwater purity of their style and electric reflection of high-elevation site-place have made their stable among the fastest to sell-out every season. Not only has their wine been enjoyed by consumers but their expression has also inspired young, US winemakers seeking to stake their claim with a motivation of making a difference, regardless if they ever make money.
Leaders in the cement “oeuf” movement in France, I’ve told the Belluard story repeatedly over the years but it’s the vineyard that speaks louder than any of my words – high in elevation and surrounded by a yodeler's dream landscape, this is Ricola country that produces some of the most distinctive and mineral-swathed white wine in Europe...all from the esoteric Gringet varietal – a grape that longs for its often cold and harsh pre-alpine environment like none I’ve ever witnessed.
In a similar vein to 2010 in Burgundy (or, more accurately Chablis), this year’s Les Alpes is more of a return to the 2007’s style and it is entering a splendid little phase that gives and takes from the taster’s senses in a most unusual fashion (I will let you experience it over an evening to see what I mean). If the 2007 is any indication, the 2010 should become more delineated and complex as the next 3-5 years tick away.
A 2010 white wine of breed that reminds me why this hobby is so special.