The roads in Switzerland’s Valais region wind through some of Europe’s most spectacular mountainside vineyards. Here, the country’s best vignerons make wines - Fendants, Syrahs, Petite Arvines and others - worthy of international acclaim. Yet most winos outside Switzerland have never heard of them. With a thirsty domestic market snapping up the best, only 1-2% of Swiss wine ever makes it out of the country. Few outsiders will ever see, let alone drink, these beautifully crafted bottles.
We have just received a new shipment from two of Switzerland’s best growers, Marie-Thérèse Chappaz, and Christophe Abbet. Together they represent the best of Valais. This is a rare chance to try these brilliant wines.
Since inheriting a garden-sized plot of Pinot Noir in the mid-1980s, “Queen of the Valais” Marie-Thérèse Chappaz has built one of Valais' most compelling domaines. A biodynamic champion, Marie-Thérèse now farms 11ha of vines around a natural granite amphitheatre. Many of these sites are accessible only on foot or by cable car. From 25 grape varieties she makes at least 20 different cuvées, vinified as naturally as possible and covering a range of styles from fragrant, elegant reds to genre-defining dry and sweet whites.
Just down the road, the enigmatic Christophe Abbet, one of Europe’s great underground winemakers, tends just 2.7ha of vines, which he farms organically. Working with tiny quantities of local specialities Ermitage, Petite Arvine, and Chasselas, alongside Gamay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah, he uses a range of experimental winemaking methods, including extended elevages and ageing under flor, to craft a spellbinding range of cuvées. Bottled without filtration or sulphur, Abbet’s wines are released only when he believes they are ready to drink, yet they still have excellent ageing potential.
