Mountain Purity
2012 Belluard Grandes Jorasses
We've been beating the drum for Belluard's 2012s for the past couple of months. Today, we finish our offerings with our most limited Belluard, his Grandes Jorasses.
There's such a tiny amount available that we have to limit the list to a very small group of Savoie and Jura fans. I hope that we won't have to allocate too heavily, but it's likely a reality.
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Belluard is most famous for his stunning work with the Gringet grape that's native to his esoteric area in the eastern section of Savoie called Ayse.
The Grandes Jorasses is based on Altesse, a much more common grape for the Savoie and nearby Bugey. We've written many times that we think Dominique Belluard is one of the most skilled and uncompromising winemakers that we know. Given that there's no other Gringet available in the states (or outside of Savoie for that matter) it's hard to drive this fact home. It's much easier with Altesse since there's much more to compare it to.
Grandes Jorasses is sourced from young vines that Belluard planted from clippings of Noel Dupasquier's oldest vines on Marestel, which for many is the best site and top bottling of Altesse. To call Belluard's Grandes Jorasses the best Altesse is silly, but it may very well be my favorite.
I've never drunk an Altesse that's so pure and precise. The clarity is just shocking: you can almost peer through the layers of complexity as you would through a glass. There's spice, orchard and stone fruits, flowers and ripe citrus. The crunchy stone minerality adds an edge to Altesse's inherently oily texture.
I'm going to keep this short. It's rare and a don't miss. If you know Belluard (and especially Belluard's 2012s) you know the deal.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits