Grain Cinq Marie-Therese Chappaz 2012

Grain Cinq 2012 Biodynamic wine, medium bodied, rich, buttery nose, structured, slightly bitter, complex. The nose leaps from the glass, peach, Exotic fruit, hazelnut, savoury, pepper, butter and minerals. This is one of those wines, you keep sniffing and sniffing, it intrigues and keeps you thinking. The palate is long, deep, and satisfying. Like the Petite Arvine from the same producer, this is a wine for serious food, Pate de Fois, roast dishes, perhaps lobster or a gourmet Paella! The wine comes from two increible vineyard sites, one called ‘Le Combe d’Enfer’ has to be one of the most breathtaking in the Valais. A note from the wine maker…. ‘The “Combe d’Enfer” (which translates literally as “the valley from hell”) is a spectacular parcel, with a 200-meter change in altitude from top to bottom. Sandwiched between two walls, its form and location are ideal for capturing heat though one side is much cooler than the other, as it is unexposed to the setting sun. Thus, this area has different grapes on each side. The Pinot Blanc and Arvine which go into Grain Cinq come from this vineyard’.

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, crystalline 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 33rd vintage, Marie Therese Chappaz continues to produce over twenty different Cuvee of world class wine which are highly sort after all over Switzerland and around the world.