Biodynamic Swiss Red Wine La Petite Grange Chappaz 2020

La Petite Grange Marie-Therese Chappaz 2020, Biodynamic Swiss Red Wine, Cornalin, Humagne Rouge, fabulous easy, complex but easy to understand and enjoy. Petite Grange has a fairly Provencal, slightly chocolaty nose.  The limestone terroirs of Leytron also express violet, morello cherry and eucalyptus. The palate of this Biodynamic Swiss Wine is fresh with red fruits and smooth, soft tannins.  There is a bitter grip to the finish.  A blend of Swiss grapes from the Leytron vineyard, it shows the terroir and style of Chappaz wine beautifully.  The new 2020 is young, juicy and delightful for summer drinking.

A note on the Leytron vineyard….

The soil is tilled for one out of every two rows, leaving free growth for flowers and herbs in the unworked rows.

Domaine Marie Therese Chappaz, lies on the south facing slopes of the beautiful Valais region of Switzerland just above the town of Fully.

Wine production in the region dates back to the 2nd century BC and the vines carpet the lower slopes of the high mountains, up to over 1000 metres.  The climate is hot in summer and bitterly cold in winter.  There are over 300 days of sunshine per year. The mountains provide a diverse terroir including loess, granite, alluvial, clay and limestone. There are a multitude of grapes from the well known Gamay and Pinot Noir to lesser known Cornalin and Petite Arvine. These conditions and such diversity make for a wide range of wine styles and exciting flavours.

Marie Therese Chappaz took over her family estate when it was just 1.5 hectares back in the mid 80s.  She has worked using biodynamic farming for over 20 years. She has built a reputation for elegant yet full bodied wines with depth and style which age very well. Her passion and commitment to quality have earned her international recognition.  In 2016, her estate was listed in the Gault Millau guide as one of the best 100 wineries in the world.

Today she farms 11 hectares of vines on the slopes above her house in Fully and in nearby villages, Charrat, Leytron and Chamoson.  Five of the vineyards are only reachable on foot or in a small cable car. Now on her 34th vintage, Marie Therese Chappaz continues to produce over twenty different Cuvee of world class wine.  Her wines are highly sort after all over Switzerland and around the world.