The Landscape of Swiss Wine

At the lower end of the valley in Martigny, on the road that winds its way up towards the Grand Saint Bernard Pass and Verbier, is the Besse family estate. To get a sense of the demanding terrain, it’s a smart idea to park in town (or take the train to Martigny) and visit the tourist office to pick up the Chemin des Vignes en Terrasses hiking map. Strike out along the vineyard trail that contours the Besse vineyards along steeply stacked terraces buttressed by an impressive array of dry-stone walls, and by the time you reach the cellar door about an hour later, you’ll have a strong sense of the particular challenges of winemaking around here – as well as a powerful thirst for a lip-smacking Petite Arvine or lively Gamay.

Autodidact Gérald Besse, who started from scratch in 1979 with his wife Patricia, is a brilliant example of learning by doing. He began by planting some Fendant, Gamay and Pinot Noir vines, and their first vintage was in 1984. Today the family works 20 hectares of vines planted with around 16 different varieties. It’s hard to overestimate the extent and beautiful precision of the estate’s dry-stone walls, which play host to basking green lizards, snakes, spiders, wild flowers and herbs. Without constant maintenance by the Besse team, the narrow terraces on which their 20 hectares of vines are planted would collapse.

In 2013, Gérald and Patricia were joined by their daughter Sarah, on completion of her studies at the Changins viticulture and oenology school and following some internships abroad. She now plays a full role in the winemaking process, while her brother Jonathan helps out part-time on the IT side. It’s another example of a leading family domaine where the younger generation is taking up the reins and assuring continuity.

Of all the winemakers visited in the Valais, Gérald Besse strikes me as the one who has dug deepest into the question of terroir. Over many years, armed with an in-depth study of the vineyards commissioned in the late 1990s, his understanding of his multiple terroirs deepened and their range of grapes and wines steadily extended. The soil composition varies between plots, ranging broadly from granite (considered good for Gamay, Petite Arvine and Syrah) to limestone (ideally suited to Fendant and Pinot Noir). Differing altitudes and expositions are further key factors, all of which play their part in the character of the resulting wines and make tasting here into a real terroir adventure.

Try, for example, their three different Fendants, all from the same grape (Chasselas) but each grown in a different site. Of the three, my favourite is Champortay, with its ripe fruit aromas and unusually firm structure (for a Chasselas). I’m always very receptive to the charms of Petite Arvine; the Besse version is no exception, greenish-gold with linden blossom aromas and grapefruit flavours, finishing fully dry with the salty touch that characterises this seductive grape.

Turning to reds, Gamay provides another exercise in terroir with examples from three distinct vineyard sites, Bovernier, Champortay and St Théodule. My vote goes once again to Champortay, with typical Gamay fruit flavours, a little spice and fine tannins, and I love Les Complices, a fruit-forward blend of Gamaret, Pinot Noir, Diolinoir and Ancellotta.

At the top of the Besse range are Les Serpentines, a collection that includes four whites (Païen, Ermitage, Malvoisie and Petite Arvine Flétrie) and three reds (Cornalin, Syrah and Merlot). All are raised in small oak barrels in the cool, subterranean barrel room carved out beneath the house, which is embellished with striking rock sculptures by a local artist, granite tiles from Ticino – and barriques from Burgundy.

One of the white stars is Ermitage (the local name for the Marsanne grape widely planted in France’s northern Rhone region), which is their wine in the Mémoire des Vins Suisses. Rich, ripe and gloriously fleshy, it’s a perfect food wine. While many people automatically reach for a red wine with cheese, Gérald shares a widespread Swiss preference for white and recommends pairing his Ermitage with a piece of aged Gruyère or L’Etivaz.

Standout reds in the Serpentines collection include an intense, dark, chocolatey Syrah and a fragrant Merlot, full of black cherry aromas and spicy fruit, both of which need to be cellared for several years for peak pleasure.

Finish on a sweet note here with a luscious, late-harvest Petite Arvine, a nectar-like drop with a delicious sting of acidity. It’s wonderful sipped on its own, or with a sweet-sharp, lightly caramelised rhubarb tart.

ADDRESS: Route de la Combe 14 Les Rappes 1921 Martigny-Croix CONTACT: Tel. 027 722 78 81	WINES TO LOOK OUT FOR: Fendant Champortay Petite Arvine Ermitage les Serpentines Syrah les Serpentines Gamay Champortay Merlot les Serpentines Syrah les Serpentines Petite Arvine flétrie sur souche
info@besse.ch
besse.ch	Price range 14 to 35 SFr.
HIGHLIGHTS: Visits welcomed from Monday to Friday, by appointment. Chemin des Vignes en Terrasses vineyard trail around Martign