Meet our winemakers...
Domaine Mermetus
Henri Chollet and his wife, along with son Vincent and daughter-in-law Valerie, took over this small family winery from Henri's father in 2000. Having worked as vignerons for 25 years, starting without vines, renting then buying, they gradually built what would become a winery with seven hectares, which Vincent and Valerie took over in 2013.
the grapes
Altesse, Mondeuse and Plant Robert are among the grapes the Chollet’s grow. In the process, they’ve made a name for themselves over the past 30 years as specialists of these regional, older grapes, which can be difficult to grow. All the wines are organic. Their vineyards are spread across Lavaux, the Unesco World Heritage site at the top end of Lake Geneva. Even among Lavaux wineries, known for their steep slopes, Domaine Mermetus is special, sitting at the top, with a breathtaking view of the French and Swiss Alps and the lake. Winelovers who are hikers, wanting to walk to the winery from the lake, will put in serious exercise before arriving! Like other vignerons here, part of the family business is maintaining and repairing the remarkable old dry stone walls that hold the terraced vines.
the cellar
For a cellar this size, the family produces a remarkable 37 wines, the grapes for which are all their own. Of these, eight are variations on Chasselas, making the Chollats pioneers for working on developing this grape variety through iterations of terroir and winemaking techniques.
The Labels
Before you open the bottle, the enchanting labels draw you in from the beginning – tempting you to taste these magical wines. And Henri is responsible for those, too! Early on – before computers – Henri worked as a draftsman, and he transferred his skills with his pencil to the family’s lighthearted wine labels and packaging.
our hand-selected white wines
from
Domaine Mermetus
Chasselas de Gastronomie
Wine profile
Called by at least one guide as the pinnacle of Lavaux Chasselas, this wine was created in the 1990s by Henri Chollat in response to French sommeliers who were asking for a Lavaux Chasselas with more structure and flavour that could be served with “sophisticated dishes”. It is an unusual Chasselas, complex despite the typical low acidity of this grape. The nose is citrus fruits and white flowers, the mouth at first tender then becoming taut and rich. A long and mouth-watering finish.
The gastronomy effect is achieved by: producing less, harvesting later, keeping the acidic freshness of the grape and allowing each vintage’s characteristics to shine through. The acidity, the Chollets note, gives the wine its structural dynamic—the level or degree of acidity is witness to the terroir’s quality, but their presence alone does not give aromas to the wine. It is only as they break down that they generate fermentation by-product aromas.
Cultivation and vinification
Organic certification in process. Silty-clay shallow soil sitting on molasses formed by the glacier. Full southern exposure above the lake in Villette, warm and sunny. Stainless steel tanks, no malolactic fermentation.
Winemaker Vincent Chollat believes that a Chasselas made without malolactic (second) fermentation generally shows off the grape in the nose and one with malo tends to have more of the scent of the terroir—but for this single fermentation wine the impact of the terroir is so strong that the grape carries the smell of the terroir.
Food pairing
Aperitif, onion tart, lake perch, cheeses and sophisticated gastronomy dishes.
Une touche de fantaisie Altesse
Wine profile
Altesse is one of the great Alpine dry wines, with complex citrus and floral notes, an almost oriental touch to it—dynamic, expressive. Its birthplace is Savoie, in France, and the Chollets are very much at home with wines from this neighboring area. The 2022 is a wine to keep, just right to open in 2025 when it has gained in richness and sugar, balancing out the lively tannins of its first years. The winery notes that 2022 is the best vintage to date for this grape, thanks to a hot dry spring and summer, with plentiful rains as harvest time drew near, to help the raisins develop fully.
Cultivation and vinification
Cultivated in areas that are hot and fully exposed on soils that are mainly sandy, with some limestone.
Food pairing
Perfect with Asian dishes, fish, seafood.
Les Terrasses de Valérie Chasselas
Wine profile
A mineral Chasselas from the hamlet of Riex, part of the village of Epesses. The 4 vine parcels here are at 400 to 550 m altitude. The parcels: Champhubert, a gentle slope near the lake, Ferreyres which dominates the Champaflon cliffs, Le Lussy with its incomparable view of Epesses, Dézaley and the Alps, En Rosset on a crest, with molassic soil.
Cultivation and vinification
The 4 parcels have old vines. Each distinct terroir is vinified separately and at the end of the first fermentation a decision is made whether or not to include them in the blending. The wine matures on its lees in tanks.
Food pairing
Aperitif, fish, fondue, raclette.
Blanc sans filtre Chasselas
Wine profile
A refreshing and thirst-quenching Chasselas from Villette, which reflects its spontaneous fermentation—shake it, suggests the winery, and aromas of fresh grapes are unmistakeable, with some floral notes. Fruity, pleasing, and not shy!
Cultivation and vinification
Spontaneous fermentation, made simply, on its lees in tanks. Bottled in early December, designed to be a primeur or early wine.
Food pairing
Simply on its own or as an aperitif, with lake perch or young cheese.
our hand-selected red wines
from
Domaine Mermetus
Le Chant de la Terre Plant Robert
Wine profile
A heritage wine from the area around Cully, with a quality charter followed by the small number of wineries that make this old close cousin of Vaud Gamay. It is notable for its nose of pepper and black fruits. This wine offers an intense nose of cherries and spices, typical of the best of these wines from a grape that nearly disappeared 30 years ago. In mouth, spicy and lively and flavorful, pepper and cherries—it gives the sensation of biting into ripe berries. It is a more difficult grape than Gamay and although it was saved in extremis, it is produced only in small quantities. It’s considered an authentic Vaud treasure of a wine.
Cultivation and vinification
Certified P3R label, which means it fulfills the official charter for this heritage grape. Whole berries fermentation, fermented on the marc followed by a long maturation on its lees, with time in both oak and stainless steel tanks.
Food pairing
Grilled meat, ham on the bone, veal piccata, sausage rolled in crust, guinea fowl with lime, cheese.
Cultivation Method
Domaine Mermetus vines are grown according to the principles of organic farming, with a Bio-inspecta certification.
