At the western end of La Côte almost at the doorstep of Geneva lies the Dutruy family winery, Domaine de la Treille. Its origins go back to 1917 when the grandparents of Christian and Julien Dutruy, the two frères who today run the estate, established themselves at this western end of the Vaud vineyards. In 2005, the brothers took over the family domaine. In 2014 they sank over three million Swiss francs in a stunning new cellar, built using only local artisans and materials. Les Frères Dutruy, today one of La Côte’s most dynamic estates, was born.
The original property – a typical Vaudois village house on the main street fringed by an ancient gnarled vine and still bearing the Domaine de la Treille name – is where customers are received on weekdays and Saturday mornings. In addition, a couple of times a year the sleek, new cellar on the edge of the village opens its doors to a stream of expectant tasters. The clientele is mainly local: “Most of our wines are sold from Geneva round to Villeneuve at the head of the lake”, says Julien, adding with a grin: “We even ‘export’ some to Zurich!” Increasingly, however, you can find selected Dutruy wines in top outlets in London and New York.
The two brothers are good examples of Switzerland’s young, well-travelled generation of winemakers. Christian, the older of the two, spent formative time in the vineyards of Napa Valley and South Africa’s Western Cape before returning to the family fold. Today he is responsible for the vineyards and for the vine nursery, where they raise plants for their own needs as well as supplying colleagues throughout Switzerland. After viticultural studies at the Domaine de Marcelin in Morges, Julien worked internships in Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace and New Zealand and took a diploma in oenology from the University of Bordeaux. His job is the vinification side, as well as sales and marketing.
The domaine’s original four hectares of vineyards have blossomed to 25, scattered around the villages of Founex and nearby Coppet. Unusually for La Côte, which has always majored on white, the Dutruys’ first grape varieties are Gamay and Pinot Noir. “We’re at the extreme western end of La Côte here”, comments Julien Dutruy, pointing out that this part has always been known for its red wines, especially Gamay, which gives deeply coloured, well-structured wines. Soils are a mixture of glacial moraine, limestone deposits and molasse, the soft, greenish sandstone that has always been used as a construction material in the region – you’ll catch regular glimpses of it in villages throughout the canton, often framing the windows. As far as the microclimate is concerned, the vines bask happily in the reflected light and moderating influence of the lake, which is just about visible – if you stand on tiptoe – through the panoramic window of the tasting room.
The Dutruys divide their wines into two groups: classic wines from the La Treille vineyards around Founex, the historic heart of the estate, as well as from contracted vines at La Doye down on the lakeside near Coppet, all varietals, both whites and reds, all unoaked. Amongst these is their lively Chasselas Cuvée Spéciale, which Julien describes as un vin de plaisir, promising pure pleasure and no pretensions and designed to be drunk within two to three years. “I lost touch with my Chasselas while on my travels and it took me a bit to get back together with it”, he admits.
If you like white wines with a little more flesh, try their Pinot Gris, made without the acid-softening secondary fermentation which gives it more backbone, or Sauvignon Blanc from the stony, well-drained soils of La Doye – fine, elegant with no unwelcome green pepper or gooseberry notes. There’s also a traditional, crunchy-delicious Gamay in the La Treille line, another wine to be drunk, says Julien, for the sheer pleasure of it (and with the barbecue).
The second group are premium wines from older vines grown in the best plots around the estate. Labelled Les Romaines (a nod to the Roman columns of the nearby town of Nyon, the first Roman colony to be established north of the Alps after the Gallic Wars), these are the wines that win the prizes.
In this line they make a deliciously fleshy, lightly oaked Chardonnay which, if you can bear to cellar it for eight to ten years, will only improve. The multi-award-winning Gamay Grande Réserve Les Romaines, from 45-year-old vines grown on clay-limestone, is the wine that represents the Dutruy brothers in the Mémoire des Vins Suisses. The yield from these old vines is very low, the grapes small and concentrated. A proportion of them are fermented using the whole bunch, not de-stemmed grapes, which adds freshness and complexity. Delightfully floral, curvaceous and succulent, it’s a gorgeous wine that would give a top Beaujolais cru from Morgon or Moulin-a-Vent a run for its money.
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ADDRESS: Grand-Rue 18 1297 Founex CONTACT: Tel. 022 776 54 02 |
WINES TO LOOK OUT FOR: Pinot Gris Domaine de la Treille Sauvignon Blanc Domaine de la Doye Gamay Domaine de la Treille Chardonnay Grande Réserve Les Romaines Gamay Grande Réserve Les Romaines |
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dutruy@lesfreresdutruy.ch |
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Price range 12 to 40 SFr. |
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HIGHLIGHTS: Wines are available from their online shop or at Domaine de la Treille 9–12 and 2–6; tastings Saturdays 10–1. Open Cellar Days available in May and November with guided visit. La Côte Wine Route vineyard trail |
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