In search of an authentic expression of his Mont Blanc terroir through the rare Gringet grape variety, Dominique Belluard produces still whites and, following the local tradition, sparkling wines using the traditional method, with the desire to produce pure, living wines.
Since 1988, Dominique Belluard has turned the family vineyards in the village of Ayse - a small, little-known appellation in the Côte d'Arve in Savoie (Haute-Savoie) - into the flagship estate of this vineyard dedicated to a rare and singular white grape variety, Gringet, which cannot be found anywhere else, and of which only 22 hectares remain. Farmed biodynamically since 2001, its 12 hectares include, in addition to Gringet, a little Altesse (8%) and Mondeuse (2%). No chemical inputs, indigenous yeasts and bacteria, ageing in concrete eggs-shaped vats or amphorae, low doses of sulphur: Dominique's desire to produce pure, living wines implies uncompromising and ever more demanding work, but also an experimental approach for a rare grape variety of which he is, in fact, the only true producer.
