Winemaker: Romain Dupont and Guillaume Bellon
Where: Frangy, Haute-Savoie, France
Size: 4,8 ha
Main Varieties: Jura varieties (site & vintage dependent), Ploussard & Savagnin Viticulture: Organic in conversion
Quick note: First started in 2021 by Romain Dupont and Guillaume Bellon after the two friends bought old vineyards and a cellar. 450m elevation and steep slopes, at the foot of Chamonix!
Since quite a while we have had our eyes on the beautiful Savoie region high in the mountains of France and it’s an absolute pleasure to find some fresh, youthful energy making just stunning and elegant wines. The duo Romain Dupont and Guillaume Bellon have been friends for years, working in wine for over 10 years, from New Zealand to the Rhone, in everything from winemaking to wine importing.
Finally having the opportunity to work their own soils, in 2021 they acquired an historic domaine of 4,8 hectares in Frangy, Savoie, in a region that varies between valleys and peaks of 300m to 600m elevation. Quite poor soils from glacier deposits, and extremely local grape varieties such Altesse, Roussette, Jacquère, Mondeuse and Gamay on some 50-year-old vineyards, mean they work low yields to create small quantities of high quality fruit.
As each vintage throws a challenge to them, it’s clear that the Domaine wines are naturally from their own vineyards, while they work since 2023 with the !Pan labels (blanc et rouge), which are a blend of both Domaine fruit and purchased grapes, mainly from friends and other organic certified vineyards.
Vinification is in their newly revamped cellar, in a mix of fibreglass, concrete egg, old large oak casks and smaller barriques. Often direct pressing and only gentle amounts of skin contact, sur lie for 6 months and then into bottle, these wines are overall fantastically complex, soft and waxy mouthfeel but with the backbone of acid and fruit.
