AOC Valais Gamay Domaine De Beudon 2014, biodynamic wine, lively, moreish, subtle, complex, shows Gamay potential as a very serious grape, Beaujolais Nouveau, this is not. On seeing and understanding where these wines come from and the labour of love which goes into this domaine, one is already getting out the credit card to buy a few bottles. Swiss wine doesn't find its way to the UK that often, it is Europe's special secret that they keep it for themselves. These wines from Beudon are stunning in their complexity, beguiling in aroma and texture and just lovely to drink. The alcohol is also low so you taste the grapes and terroir, not the booze. The Gamay has red fruits, dried fruits, notes of herbs and pronounced minerals and terroir on the palate, superb velvety texture complete this delicious mountain red.
Domaine de Beudon is a remarkable place; a tiny farm perched on the steep side of the Swiss Alps, removed from the world and locally known as the “vineyard in the sky”. Located above the village of Fully, “there are two ways to visit us,” explains owner Marion Granges. “One is by small cable car or you can walk for an hour via steep mountain tracks.” Domaine de Beudon is the only wine grower there. Produced in tiny quantities, from just a 6-hectare estate, Beudon wine very rarely makes it out of Switzerland and onto the international market. Cultivating vines there is highly challenging, every wine lives on steep rocky soil. Since 1992, the Granges family has been religiously applying biodynamic viticulture and organic practices. Producing biodynamic wines almost feel like a visceral need for the Granges family, it is about making a statement that if it’s possible in Beudon, then it can be done anywhere. All ferments are naturally started, there is no added sugar or human intervention, only Mother Earth. The Beudon vineyards produce Pinot Noir, Gamay, Humagne Rouge and the two local crossings Diolinoir and Gamaret. The white-wine varieties are Petite Arvine, Fendant and Riesling-Sylvaner. The wines taste as pure as the mountain air that vines thrive in. In youth, they are deliciously light if not a little austere and quiet. With age, they become something quite special and would rival many old vintages from more allustrious appellations over the border in France.
