Situated in Ayse in the Chamonix valley (France) which heads northeast toward Geneva, Belluard is Savoie’s closest thing to a star shot. Dominique has vineyards from 300 to 450 meters above sea level, relatively low to allow perfect ripening. All are farmed biodynamically and were planted by selection massale.  The vine ages vary from ten to sixty years old.  

 

Both his white and sparkling wines, made from the ancient and almost extinct Gringet grape, are in high demand. Farming about 12 hectares, Domaine Belluard accounts for about half of the Gringet planted in the world. The sparkling bottlings, Les Perles du Mont Blanc Brut and a Mont-Blanc Brut Zéro, show mineral intensity and a warm, nutty side. Saying that Belluard’s Mont Blanc is easily one of the best sparkling wines outside of Champagne is accurate, but may lead you astray. Mont Blanc is emphatically its own thing. There’s an oily texture full of yellow plums, flowers, herbs, minerals. It doesn’t receive any dosage 

 

Belluard remarkable still whites are a quince-flavored Les Alpes, from a planting on calcareous stones, and the rare Le Feu, full of spice and green-tea subtlety, from a steep, south-facing parcel of friable bauxite that can evoke comparisons of great northern Rhône whites, even Hermitage Blanc.