Meet our winemakers...
Marie-Thérèse Chappaz
MTC for short, as this dynamic and exceptional winemaker is popularly known, is arguably Switzerland’s most renowned and admired producer.
Her reputation was established with her extraordinary late-harvest wines produced in small quantities. These very rare, beautiful, world-class wines are made from small amounts of grapes left on the vine, touched by a fungus, Botrytis cinerea, often called Noble Rot. The wines can be produced only in years when all the right conditions come together, including a strong warm wind called the foehn that keeps the grapes healthy. She made headlines in 2023 when Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awarded 100 points to her Grain par Grain Petite Arvine Domaine des Claives.
photo credit ©gregory devillers
The Terroir of Marie-Thérèse Chappaz Vineyards
The winery, which carries her name, sits at the top end of the hamlet of Branson, at the western edge of Fully, one of Switzerland’s largest wine-producing communes. The dramatically steep high-rise amphitheater known as the Cirque d’Enfer—“enfer” meaning hell, and temperatures here can reach well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit—rises above the winery. The cellar is also her home (thus impromptu winery visits are taboo), built by her uncle in 1943. In front is a view of much of the length of the Rhone river valley, slopes covered with vines. The town of Martigny and its Roman ruins sits on the opposite bank and the French and Italian Alps lie just out of sight, on the other side of the Grand St. Bernard Pass.
The winery has vineyards on both sides of the river, giving her scope to make wines from grapes grown on the granitic soil of Fully as well as alluvial* soils lower down, from north-facing as well as south-facing vines that have very different sun expositions and micro-climates.
*Alluvial soil is a loose soil or sediments created by precipitation erosion.
Guardians of the Landscape
For years, the MTC media story was about how unlikely it was that this winery came into being, for she trained as a midwife and had dreams as a young woman of traveling and helping those in need. History saw it otherwise, when her father gave her vines in 1977, the start of an unexpected love affair with grapevines and the potential they offer if nourished correctly.
Today the story has shifted: she accepts her role as a star for Valais and Swiss wines, but she remains unimpressed by the kudos and prefers to stay focused on her goal, quite simply to keep producing the best her terroirs offer, and to help these lands remain healthy and strong for future generations. She is widely perceived as an example of what Swiss winemakers call their role as guardians of the landscape.
our hand-selected white wines
from
from marie-therese chappaz
Grain Cinq
Wine Profile
A subtle marriage between Petite Arvine, Ermitage, Païen, Pinot Blanc and Sylvaner. The 2020 vintage is an explosion on the nose of orange zest, lychee, apricot kernel and hot stones. The mouth: elegant woodiness and, despite its young age, a patina already well established.
Cultivation and vinification
The grapes are all from the granitic steep Claives terroir, vine parcels Fully Combe d’Enfer and Fully Les Claives, harvested and vinified together.
Food pairing
This 2020 vintage is an explosion on the nose of orange zest, lychee, apricot kernel but also… hot stones. Our taste buds delight in an elegant woodiness and, despite its young age, it has a patina already well established.
Grain Ermitage
Wine Profile
Grape: Ermitage (Marsanne) toasted notes of quince, cedar, dried apricot, violet, strawberry compote, coriander and acacia honey with the beautiful bitterness of almond skin. The beginnings of white truffle, which reveals itself after a few years, with white mushroom, underbrush, humus and peat. An exceptional wine with great length in the mouth.
Cultivation and vinification
Vine parcel: Les Claives: steep, south-facing. Biodynamic.
Food pairing
Blue lobster and herb butter
Grain Noble Petite Arvine
Wine Profile
MTC’s Grain Noble late-harvest (botrytis, or Noble Rot) wines are considered among the best sweet wines in the world (one was given the very rare 100 by Robert Parker), produced in small quantities from handpicked grapes on vines with very low yields. Each vintage is a unique treasure. In general, expect notes of quince, apricot jam, bitter orange and citrus, lime zest. Can be cellared for several years. The 2019 has a mouth of beautifully balanced acidity and richness, the consistency of thin honey but with enormous aromatic complexity. The light botrytis aroma in mouth gives complexity, with roses and oriental spices.
Cultivation and Vinification
Vine parcel: Les Claives: steep, south-facing. Biodynamic. Late harvest, after the first frost and as late as Christmas. Les Claives is one of the most difficult hills to cultivate in Valais, and perhaps even the world. Roadless, it ranges from 450 to 650 meters in altitude. Due to its steep slope, loamy deposits formed by the wind accumulate in the flatter parts while elsewhere, the soil is rocky and dry.
Food pairing
Excellent with blue and other cheeses; for other matches think of Sauterne pairings.
Fendant La Liaudisaz
Wine Profile
The first expression of this Fendant is very floral, with elderflower and apricot blossom. With aeration in the glass this gives way to a scent of citrus sorbet. The mouth is round and surprising with a saline finish.
Cultivation and vinification
Vineyard: Fully La Liaudisaz.
Food pairing
Perfect for all aperitifs, as well as delicately flavored fish accompanied by a slightly lemony creamy sauce.
Assemblage Blanc
Wine Profile
The grapes that make up this aromatic full-bodied blend vary from year to year, with Petite Arvine, Marsanne and Sylvaner as the base. In 2021 there were four grapes: Petite Arvine, Sylvaner, Marsanne and Pinot Blanc. The 2022 was the base trio, in equal parts, while the 2020 had Roussanne rather than Marsanne. 2020: a typical Muscat nose, fresh and subtle, gives aromas of rose, lychee and dried apricots reminiscent of elegant Rhone Viogniers. For the 2022, the nose has lemon peel, a hint of honeysuckle and toasting. The mouth takes its freshness from Petite Arvine while Sylvaner offers fullness (concentration), and a lovely slightly bitter finish comes from the Marsanne.
Cultivation and vinification
Biodynamic, vine parcel les Liaudisaz, next to the winery but also several other plots. Vinification is done with wild yeasts.
Food pairing
Tuna or mackerel sashimi. In general, lake and river fish, white meat, mushrooms. Fresh cheeses and fresh fruit.
our hand-selected red wines
from
marie-therese chappaz
Grain Mariage
Wine profile
Humagne Rouge and Cornalin grapes, 50-50. Fairly tight, the 2019 vintage presents even more density, elegance and harmony than the Grain Mariage 2018. It requires a bit of time to savor it fully. Nose: kirsch, smoky, bloody notes, in 2022 with violets. A tannic and structured final note. Sometimes called a wine “that expresses Alpine vineyards in all their splendour.”
Cultivation and vinification
Vineyard: Leytron, Grü, Champ des Pierres, Champs Longs, at the foot of the Ardevaz in Leytron. Vinification and maturation in vats for the humagne, with the Cornalin partially aged in oak barrels.
Food pairing
With a tagine of prunes and almonds.
Grain Pinot les Esserts
Wine Profile
Pinot Noir. The historic vines of the estate are perfect for this vintage. Blond tobacco, mocha, currant and a hint of vanilla in the nose. The mouth: fleshy with a good length. Best within three years.
Cultivation and vinification
Limestone soil. Les Esserts is where it all began for the winemaker. This is the original vineyard gifted by her father, which explains her attachment to it. Primarily planted with Pinot Noir, her passion led from here to the world-class wines she makes today. The neighbouring vines are rented and planted with a mix of native Valais varietals and Burgundian clones. Biodynamic.
Food pairing
A Parisian rib steak or more surprisingly, a bitter chocolate cake.
Ma Puinée
Wine Profile
Classic nose of small red fruits for this Valais traditional blend of Pinot Noir (at least 85%) and Gamay, with the Gamay adding a light and cheerful fruitiness to the blend.
Cultivation and vinification
Made in stainless steel tanks, designed to be a convivial wine and to drink while it is young.
Food pairing
Aperitif, cheeses, simple dishes.
Grain Pinot Charrat
Wine Profile
Pinot Noir. Grain Pinot Charrat amazing for its ability to be enjoyed young or to be forgotten in the cellar. The first olfactory notes evoke Mediterranean garrigue brush, aromatic herbs, raspberry but also licorice stick. The tannins are coated and its patina, already present, will evolve over time.
Cultivation and vinification
Vineyards: Charrat Champ Dury, Charrat Les Esserts. Charrat is situated on the north-facing, left bank slope of the Rhône River and thus differs from the sunnier Fully vineyard. The sun hits this area later in the day and during harvest season, the first rays are felt only around noon. On the other hand, the vines are sun-caressed until 8:00 or 9:00 pm in the evenings. The combination of these characteristics in conjunction with the limestone soil is perfectly suitable for Pinot Noir, which is particularly adapted for cooler temperatures. Given that no two years are alike, the vines are Guyot-trained and the soil is tilled for one out of every two rows, weather-permitting.
Champ Dury is a vine parcel whose superb terroir is the best in Charrat for the winery’s Pinot Noir.
Food pairing
Game, chili con carne.
Dole la Liaudisaz
Wine Profile
The nose: all luscious fruitiness, red and black fruits. Mouth: Attack of blueberries, sweet spices, licorice, musk, strawberries in a cauldron, and cherry jam. Dense, velvety, savory.
Cultivation and vinification
A blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay (less than 10%) from several different vineyard plots including: Charrat hillside on the Rhone left bank and the alluvial cone of Chamoson on the right bank. Soil: limestone gravelly scree in Charrat and limestone alluvial debris in Chamoson. Bunches are destemmed, then grapes are fermented and left two weeks in stainless steel tanks. Wild yeast, pneumatic pressing. Matures six months in tanks and lightly filtered, bottled 6-7 months after harvest.
Food pairing
Plate of cold meats or a slice of grilled veal.
more varietals coming soon
Cultivation Method
Chappaz uses only natural treatments. No chemical products. Leaf-thinning and harvesting are done manually, harvest yields are strictly limited.
