Saving Gringet – Haute-Savoie’s rare treasure
In a small corner of the French Alps, the existence of the rare Gringet grape is tied to a handful of producers. One name resonates deeply with those who know its delicate charm. Christina Rasmussen uncovers the story of Gringet, the passionate advocate who helped to reveal its magic to the world, and those now ensuring its future across the globe.
Fewer than 10 domaines in the world produce wines made entirely from the white grape variety Gringet from their own vineyards.
Six are located in Ayse, the grape’s Haute-Savoie homeland.
Despite its scarcity, if you mention Gringet to somebody with deep knowledge of French wine, you will be met with a knowing smile and the name of one man: Dominique Belluard.
Belluard’s conviction
Belluard’s Gringet wines took the international wine world by storm in the 2000s and the 2010s.
Rajat Parr, ex-sommelier and now winemaker and farmer at Phelan Farm in Cambria, California, remembers: ‘The first time I drank one of Dominique’s wines in 2012 in Paris, I was deeply moved; so much so, that I began to seek out his wines all the time. I didn’t yet know how rare Gringet was, I was just captivated by the true magic and deliciousness of the wines.’
After visiting Belluard at his domaine in 2018, Rajat decided to plant one hectare of Gringet at his own domaine on the other side of the world.
When they finished planting, he opened Belluard’s Les Alpes 2010 to drink with his team, pouring some of the wine onto the soil of the vineyard itself: ‘For so many years I’ve been drinking Gringet. It’s an amazing feeling to finally put these vines in the ground.’
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A unique variety
First mentioned in writing in 1766, Gringet is however likely to be much older. It was once cultivated widely across Haute-Savoie.
Due to phylloxera, migration of people away from the countryside to cities, and land demand for housing, Ayse’s overall vineyard area dwindled from about 600ha in the second half of the 19th century to just 30ha today, and around 25 of those are planted with Gringet.
Many believed Gringet to be either related to or a clone of the also-ancient Savagnin variety from Savoie’s neighbour, Jura.
Dominique Belluard, however, remained steadfastly convinced that Gringet was unique.
DNA testing for grape varieties changed everything.
Dr José Vouillamoz, a grape geneticist, travelled to Ayse to meet Belluard in 2007 to take cuttings.
Testing proved that Gringet was indeed a distinct variety with no relation to Savagnin.
Additionally, as Vouillamoz has argued very recently on the back of his research, Gringet is likely the parent of two other Savoyard varieties, one of which being Molette, the other being the obscure Roussette basse de Seyssel; meaning it is certainly very old.
This means that Gringet was historically prized, as it was purposefully re-propagated for centuries.
Vouillamoz rang Belluard to inform him. Belluard was a man who José describes as having been modest and reserved, and he received the news in the same manner.
It was only two years later, at the Les Vins des Alpes symposium in Chambéry, that Vouillamoz and indeed the audience could see how much it meant to Belluard.
He spoke with tears in his eyes about how this discovery had changed his life, giving meaning to all the years he had spent working to save the variety.
Epigenetics
A historical gem, Gringet simultaneously gives us hope for the future.
‘One of the solutions to mitigate effects of climate change is to revive old, often forgotten indigenous varieties in their birthplace,’ says Vouillamoz, ‘for the sake that they have survived several past climate changes since the Middle Ages and even earlier.’
Vouillamoz explains that as Gringet vines have been propagated for centuries in the same terroir, they benefit from ‘epigenetics’ (genetic modifications that impact gene activity without changing the DNA sequence, in other words how the environment can cause changes that affect the way in which genes work).
‘This recent field of science is still largely unknown in grapes,’ says Vouillamoz, ‘but my hypothesis is that old vines and indigenous varieties in their birthplace have kept the “memories” of past vintages, enabling them to adapt their physiological reactions to meteorological contingencies.
‘In short, an indigenous vine that has already undergone several severe drought vintages will be better equipped to resist the next one than a recently introduced foreign variety.’
Although there is no concrete evidence yet, it’s a topic that is keenly being explored.
A fitting tribute
Tragically, Belluard lost his life to suicide in 2021. He is immensely missed by those who knew him and by the wine world at large.
Jura winemaker, Jean-François Ganevat, went to Savoie to ensure the 2020 wines in the cellar made it to bottle safely.
From the 2021 Gringet harvest, several French winemakers bought the grapes and made Gringet cuvées: Anne and Jean-François Ganevat, Nicolas Jacob and Zeroine in the Jura; Jean-Marie Berrux, Théo Dancer and Maison Glandien in Burgundy; Jean-Claude Lapalu in Beaujolais; and Franck Balthazar in Cornas.
They are all beautiful expressions and homages to Belluard’s work.
When it came to selling the domaine, Valérie Belluard, Dominique’s wife, decided that young winemaker Vincent Ruiz, with his partners Miguel Sarzier, Raphaël Bennour and Cornas vigneron Franck Balthazar, would be the ones to continue Dominique’s legacy.
They are doing exactly that, under the newly named Domaine du Gringet. Farming regeneratively, this talented, dedicated quartet perpetuates Belluard’s vision, shining a light on Gringet, the Ayse terroir, and the ethereal white wines the combination creates.
Ruiz says: ‘Our Gringet vines are heritage vines; we feel so fortunate to tend to them.’
They note how well-suited Gringet is to Ayse, even when faced with the challenges global warming brings. It copes well with heat stress, and is not too susceptible to powdery mildew – a rarity.
In the past, it sometimes struggled to ripen, but with a warming climate, as Belluard proved and Domaine du Gringet continues to prove, it now consistently produces world-class still wines.
Equally, it continues to produce world-class sparkling wines. If you find yourself in Haute-Savoie, buying the exquisite sparkling wines made by Le Coteau du Môle – which sells its entire production directly from its cellar – is a must.
Ensuring a future for Gringet
The future is bright for Gringet. It is also being embraced further afield. Jean-Yves Péron has planted it in Savoie, and makes a striking macerated example, and Domaine Curtet has also planted it for use in blends.
In the Jura, Domaine de la Borde will soon release the inaugural 2024 vintage of a blend of Gringet and Savagnin from a vineyard planted in 2020.
In Oregon, Gringet forms a small part of HIYU Wine Farm’s Pandion cuvée, and LoFi Wines in California’s Santa Barbara also planted a small plot in 2024 from Phelan Farm cuttings.
Savoie in a bottle
When I finally made it to Ayse myself, I stood among the native Savoyard vegetation and wildflowers rooted next to centenarian Gringet bush vines, looking out at snow-capped mountains.
The herbal mountain scents in the air were exactly the same as those I have found, and continue to find, in Gringet wines.
I couldn’t help but think that these wines are a microcosm for the very notion of terroir. This ancient variety is the vehicle able to transport Haute-Savoie to the bottle.
How lucky we are to experience it.
Five Gringets I can’t stop thinking about
Dominique Belluard, Monsieur Gringet, Savoie, France 2020
A moving bottle that gives you an insight into Dominique’s life work. One of his last wines (finished by Jean-François Ganevat), this is a blend of individual hillside parcels La Paille (white marl), Chez Edouard (limestone scree) and Le Feu (red marl with iron). It was matured for 18 months in concrete eggs, and the label was chosen by Valérie Belluard and designed by artist Michel Tolmer. The wine showcases perfectly the complex saline and wild herb characteristics of Gringet across multiple terroirs.
Domaine du Gringet, La Bergerie, Savoie, France 2022
This cuvée exemplifies the textural potential of Gringet: fresh and delicious, while having real structure and density simultaneously. A highly versatile wine.
Domaine du Gringet, La Paille, Savoie, France 2022
From bush vines planted in 1929 and 1930. A wine that manages to combine concentration with finesse – its salty, dried chamomile and snow-like minerality lingers forever on the palate. There are so many layers to unfurl. A true showstopper that will open anybody’s eyes to the oxymoron that is the joyful seriousness of Gringet.
Domaine Béléma, Imago, Allobroges, France 2022
Made by Yann Pernuit, who spent many years working with Belluard, this is yet another striking example of Gringet from Ayse. With the same saline core, this has lovely fresh lime pith and apricot stone qualities. Highly moreish, impossible not to love.
Dominique Belluard x Jean-Claude Lapalu, Feu Follet 2019
A sparkling wine that was vinified by Belluard and finished by his good friend and one of Beaujolais’ most talented and dedicated winemakers, this is a delightful expression of sparkling Gringet. Full of life, with lemon and a touch of bitter herbs, it is highly invigorating.
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