2015 Domaine Beudon Valais- L'Orage

In 1971 Jacques “Jacky” Granges moved to the rural village of Fully in the canton of Valais (also the appellation for his wines) - a land of heroic viticulture, on a sheer mountainside with terraced vineyards up to 900 meters and 50 degrees of slope. He called his domaine “the vineyards in the sky” and was the first winegrower in Switzerland to convert to biodynamic farming. Soils are a mix of granite, gneiss, and limestone. 

"L'Orage" is a blend of pinot noir, gamay, diolinoir and gamaret. Natural fermentation and aging on the lees for 11 months was in stainless steel vats. The wine was not fined or filtered, and it’s only 12.2% alcohol. When you pour the wine into a glass, the brickish red color advertises beautiful bottle age. It’s fiercely mineral when you open it, with iron and meaty notes. With exposure to air, the wine’s savory herbal and minty aromas and flavors become more prominent. The texture is supple, but with a hint of Alpine twang. There’s no need to decant the wine, but do drink it in a larger glass; a Burgundy stem is ideal. And as with all great wines, don’t drink it too quickly, so that you can enjoy its evolution in the glass over several hours.