Overcoming tragedy and adversity is no easy thing. Yet, this story tells of such tale, with an ending that presented great opportunity. For Dominique Belluard, who spent three decades elevating the Gringet grape variety from an average sparkling wine to one of immense beauty with personality and a taste, his sudden death in 2021 felt sadly unjust. Without an immediate successor to take over, the estate looked to a new pair of hands to continue the legacy Dominique left behind.
Step forward young winemaker Vincent Ruiz, who had made a name for himself working with Rhone producer Franck Balthazar in Cornas for four years. In spring of 2022, and after months of back and forth from Cornas to Ayse, Vincent left the Rhône to relocate in the Arve valley and fully take charge. At the same time, Domaine du Gringet was born.
Keen to retain and evolve the legacy of Dominique, Vincent aimed to uphold the philosophy of chemical-free farming while implementing new techniques. In order to avoid soil compaction and restore biodiversity, he decided to abandon the use of tractors and allow wild grasses to roam free between the vineyards.
In the cellar long, slow (7+ hours) press cycles are favoured, each followed by a light cold settling for the whites. Everything is vatted in concrete or ceramic vessels whilst fermenting and aged on fine lees without any racking until bottling. For the reds, Vincent stayed true to his northern Rhône origins, processing whole clusters which undergo long (2-3 weeks) macerations with gentle extraction.
Although Ayse is a small appellation (approximately twenty hectares), it boasts an incredible diversity of terroirs, including limestone scree, yellow marl, white marl, and red marl. Fortunately, Gringet is a grape variety that absorbs the specificities of the soil on which it grows.
