Belluard Eponyme
There may be a tendency to romanticize the idea of the winemaker. We imagine men and women at one with nature, the vineyard, and the wildlife around them, tending to the vines and reaping the harvest to then press Mother Nature's bounty into juice that will transform into this exquisite and thought provoking, emotional liquid. Unfortunately it's not always easy for our winemaker friends. Decades ago, years with intensely warm winters when plants began budding way too early, or intensely hot summers, or overnight frosts in June, used to be a once in a decade phenomenon. Now it seems like most years bring trouble and challenges. People with long term loans from the bank are having trouble coming up with their payments. Faced with enormous debt, and experiencing year after year of limited crops, the physical strain of labor, or the challenges of finding workers willing to commit to the agricultural life (especially the hard work of biodynamic and organic farming), many winemakers have struggled with depression and feelings of desperation. The Covid pandemic was clearly a tipping point. The restrictions and the isolation prevented these solitary souls from being able to share their work with others, to see people in other countries and cultures who connect over their wines. It was devastating to many, and some winemakers chose to take their own lives, perhaps in order to not burden their families with the financial hardships, perhaps just to escape the solitude or the endless physical toll of the work.
One such winemaker was the late Dominique Belluard, a native of the Savoie, and one of the most iconic producers of the region. I did not have a deep relationship with Dominique, and only knew him through the many tastings I attended in France, perhaps a tasting or two back in the days at CSW. He was always stoic, calm, and exceptionally warm, but at the same time distant in some way, as if half of his being was in the hills of Ayse. His wines transported people and still do. The chiseled minerality, the alpine core, honestly I don't know of many others in the wine world who could create such a sensation with an unknown grape (Gringet) from a practically unknown region. His history in the region and importance to the wine world is well documented, and I would highly recommend the profile on the Selection Massale website (click here), and the humble eulogy written by his friend and writer, Wink Lorch (click here) for anyone who wishes to read more about the late Dominique Belluard.
The story of this wine is a special one: Dominique took his life in the early Summer of 2021, before the 2020 wines were finished or bottled. Valérie, Dominique's companion, asked their long-time friend Jean-François Ganevat to help with the assemblage and bottling. 'Eponyme' comes from the blending of different plots of Gringet that normally would go into the 'Le Feu' and 'Les Alpes' cuvées. It is a scintillating white, with fresh salinity and mineral lift. For people who knew him, it is an emotional wine. I have come to tears twice drinking this wine, thinking about Dominique, Olivier, Pascal and others. It has intense verve and energy, without any overt sharpness, perfect for drinking now or for aging - my guess would be up to a decade, but likely longer.
In addition to 'Eponyme,' we are also offering the last bottling of Belluard's sparkling wine, 'Ayse,' named after the village where his vines and winery were located. Dominique was instrumental in helping Ayse to receive AOC for their sparkling wines, and produced some compelling sparkling wines throughout his career. This bottling of Ayse, from a base of 2018 vintage, has had some issues with what the French call "souris" or English speakers call "mousiness," but we hope it will work out in the bottle eventually. I have had an exceptional bottle of this wine, but have also encountered mousiness with other bottles, so we will be selling the wine at just above cost, and $10 from the sale of each bottle will go to suicide prevention non-profits in France.
Thank you Dominique, for the memories, the wines, your incredible work in the vineyards, and your warm spirit. We will remember you whenever we raise a glass of Savoie wine, and we will keep spreading the word about Gringet!
-Eben Lillie
