EPESSES, VAUD
The Duboux family’s presence in the charming wine village of Epesses high above Lake Geneva goes back at least 500 years. Blaise Duboux is the 17th generation of his family to make wine here. Although he has an engineering background, at heart he’s an artist – he is intimately involved with production of the fabulous, wine-themed, musico-theatrical Fête des Vignerons, staged in in Vevey approximately every 20 years under the patronage of the Confrérie des Vignerons. It comes as no surprise to find the subtitle of his domaine is L’Art du Vin.
For 23 years he worked his five-hectare domaine using minimal, carefully targeted, environmentally respectful treatments under the regime known as Production Intégrée. As long as neighbouring winegrowers on the gravity-defying terraces of Lavaux continued to treat their vineyards by helicopter with synthetic pesticides and fungicides, he could see little sense in converting his estate, only for his vines to be caught in the crossfire of chemical sprays. In 2016, when the practice was stopped throughout Lavaux, he moved to convert officially to organics, a process which was completed in 2018.
He’s also moving steadily in the direction of biodynamics, but without being slavish to Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy – “I follow my own process”, he explains, which in his case means minimal intervention in the vineyard and cellar, observation of the lunar calendar and use of some biodynamic preparations. He adds little or no sulphur to his wines but prefers to describe himself as “a vigneron engaged with nature”, rather than a “natural-winemaker”. His intention is to make real (as opposed to “natural”) wines.
A project of Blaise’s that is close to my heart is to try and work the vineyards without the use of copper sulphate. Many people are under the impression that organic and biodynamic winegrowers do not treat their vines against disease. In fact, even those working with organics and biodynamics can – quite legitimately – spray their vines with a copper sulphate solution, sometimes at repeated intervals. (If you’re visiting vineyards in the growing season, look out for the tell-tale blueish-grey cast on vine leaves.) The problem is that copper is a heavy metal and it stays in the ground forever, with significant build-ups in many of the world’s vineyards. Enlightened growers like Blaise, who are concerned about the broad impact of vine cultivation on the environment (rather than blindly following the regulations or – worse – using organics as a marketing ploy for their wines) are increasingly questioning its use and looking for alternatives.
As with other winegrowers in Lavaux, Chasselas is their main grape, accounting for around 75 percent of what they produce. “It’s a grape that’s beginning to be appreciated [even] in the UK”, observes Blaise with evident delight, noting that people who may have counted themselves as Chasselas sceptics are slowly getting to know this delicate grape and learning to appreciate its subtleties. Like many others, he waxes lyrical about its capacity to reflect faithfully the terroir where it grows (“c’est un grand révelateur de terroir ”). He’s also emphatic about its ability to age for at least 20 years when grown with care and in the best sites. “When you age Chasselas from a prime site, it gets dressed up and becomes a jacket-and-tie wine!” he claims with his infectious smile.
The screwcapped Villette Les Murets, grown in light, sandy soils around Lutry, is delicate and gently appetising, best drunk in its youth as a joyous aperitif, preferably from a perch on the terrace of the Auberge du Vigneron, which guarantees unrivalled views of the vineyards and the shimmering lake below. Calamin Cuvée Vincent, from the tiniest appellation in Lavaux whose clay-limestone vineyards plunge directly down from the village, has more heft, radically different from the customary Chasselas vin de soif (thirstquencher). Vincent was Blaise’s father, who used to say that this was a wine to savour the Christmas after its (spring) bottling, though this is one of those Chasselas that will age gracefully – it’s their wine in the Mémoire des Vins Suisses, one of whose objectives is to test the ageing potential of Swiss wines (see page 67).
The star of Blaise’s Chasselas show is Dézaley Haut de Pierre, grown on hair-raising, 45-degree slopes in Lavaux’s most celebrated appellation. Rich, broad-shouldered with delicate almond and lime blossom aromas and a tingling spine of acidity that gives it structure and ageability, it’s a wine that gets impressive international ratings, including from the Wine Advocate and the Decanter World Wine Awards.
A final, compelling reason to visit this small, artisanal winery is for a taste of Plant Robez (aka Plant Robert or Robaz). An extremely rare Gamay clone thought to have arrived long ago from Burgundy, it took root in the region over the centuries, but by the 1960s it had all but vanished from the vineyards. Together with a band of passionate fellow believers, Blaise created an association to preserve the precious clone, laying down strict requirements for its cultivation and vinification. Today Plant Robert is recognized by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity as an authentic regional product from Lavaux. It gives a deeply-coloured, juicy wine with wonderful fresh grapiness. If you enjoy the treasure hunt for distinctive grape varieties that make a tour of Switzerland’s vineyards so enriching, this is one wine to seek out.
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ADDRESS: Sentier de Creyvavers 3 1098 Epesses CONTACT: |
WINES TO LOOK OUT FOR: Calamin Cuvée Vincent Dézaley Haut de Pierre Plant Robez |
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info@blaiseduboux.ch |
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Price range 20 to 30 SFr. |
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HIGHLIGHTS: Visits welcomed Saturdays 9–12 or by appointment and there’s an online shop. Wines may be tasted at 11 Terres wine bar in Epesses, jointly owned by Duboux and 10 other winegrowers. Lavaux vineyard trail |
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