Swiss Chasselas Perfection – over a decade in the making

One of the great pleasures of working at Gauntleys is having access to a wonderful array of wines with age – bottles that have had the time to develop complexity, texture and character, and which offer a glimpse of what truly mature wine can deliver.

And every so often, something comes along that reminds us just how exciting Switzerland can be. There is something wonderfully vibrant about Swiss wines: a sense of freshness that seems to come straight from Alpine peaks, clear lake breezes and those extraordinary terraced vineyards overlooking Lake Geneva.

Blaise Duboux’s 2014 Epesses ‘Sursum Corda’ is a brilliant example. The Duboux family has been cultivating vines in Epesses for around five centuries, with Blaise representing the 17th generation. A trained oenologist, he took over the domaine in 2010 and now farms around five hectares, with Chasselas at its heart. His vineyards are organically certified, with biodynamic principles also informing his approach.

And what a difference a decade makes.

Bright, burnished gold, with a wonderfully evolved nose of honey, chamomile, baked apple, freshly rolled pastry, peach, apricot and even a delicate floral note of fuchsia. The palate is rounded and gently oily, layering beeswax, honeycomb, aged citrus and ripe stone fruit – green plum and nectarine – over a beautifully bright spine of acidity. A subtle savoury astringency brings definition and length.

A fascinating, mature Chasselas: Alpine freshness meeting ten years of bottle age.

2014 Blaise Duboux Epesses ‘Sursum Corda’ – just tasted, and thoroughly recommended.