Grapes: Gringet
Region: Ayze, Savoie, France
Vintage: 2022
Viticulture: Organic + Biodynamic
Soils: Marl + Clay
Vinification: Gentle pressing into concrete
Aging: 9 months on fine lees in concrete egg, additional 10 months in bottle
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: Minimal added
Notes from the Importer:
Dominique had taken over the estate in 1988, elevating Gringet from a notoriously average sparkling wine to a world-class, age-worthy wine with personality and a sense of place. After his sudden departure, and without an immediate successor to take over, the estate precipitated in a state of emergency while the season was in full swing.
With this in mind, and after having taken the decision to not vinify the 2021 harvest, Valérie Belluard opened up to the idea of a sale in the autumn. Investors began to come knocking, but she was categorical: “even if the Belluard page is turned, the work put in by Dominique must be perpetuated through a grower, rather than a brand.”
Amongst the many young talents to apply, Vincent Ruiz, a 26 year old who had been working side by side with Franck Balthazar in Cornas for over four years, was the one to succeed.
With the arrival of the spring of 2022, and after months of back and forth from Cornas to Ayse, Vincent finally left the Rhône to relocate in the Arve valley and fully take charge of the vegetative cycle. At the same time, the choice of a new name for the domaine is made. Induced by the incredible singularity of the grape variety at the heart of this whole adventure, the decision was somewhat obvious, and so Domaine du Gringet was born.
