Syrah from Chamoson 2023 - 150cl - AOC Valais - Domaine des Petites Planètes

Syrah, this noble grape variety from the Rhone Valley, finds a natural and privileged place in Valais. On its sunny hillsides, overlooking the Rhone which has its source in the glaciers at the bottom of the valley before joining Lake Geneva and France, it flourishes fully. Distinctive and authentic, marked by distinctive aromas of pepper and violet, Syrah, with its late maturity, is perfectly suited to producing great Valais wines. Gentle aging in oak barrels allows it to reveal all its depth and character, offering wines of great complexity and elegance.

This wine was born in Switzerland. Here, no synthetic inputs, neither in the vineyard nor in the cellar. Instead, it is herbal infusions, fermented extracts and compost tea that watch over the vine, like benevolent companions, gently accompanying it at each stage of the season in addition to copper and sulfur to limit the spread of mildew and powdery mildew. Thus, this wine breathes the land that saw it grow, free and sincere, in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Altitude of the plot 500 meters
Harvested by hand between September 18, 2023 & September 29, 2023
Indigenous yeasts
Aged for 12 months in oak barrels (no new oak)
1160 bottles & 309 magnums

Grape variety

100% Syrah.

Vinification

A little SO2 at harvest time, incorporation of a native yeast starter during the day, one trapping per day during fermentation, pressing after 15 days of maceration.

Added 10 mg/L of SO2 after malolactic fermentation, light filtration 1 week before bottling, adjusted to 25 mg/L of free SO2.

Bottled on December 5, 2024.

Tasting

With a delicate nose that combines violet, raspberry and light spicy notes, this dense red Syrah offers a beautiful peppery structure, supported by aromas of violet and cherry. This elegant and tasty wine will perfectly accompany your game dishes, bringing depth and harmony to each bite.

Poetic notes by Lise Donier-Meroz, sommelier at Gilles Varone ⭐️⭐️🍀

Chiaroscuro

In a soft twilight, like a night where everything becomes slower, truer. Black fruits—blackberry, blueberry—a touch of violet, of dark petals, seem to slip in, with that light depth belonging to moments outside of time.

On the palate, the wine glides calmly, yet advances with a boundless energy that only time will polish. The fruit is precise, vibrant, carried by a discreet freshness. One senses a subtle tension, a way of revealing itself by taking its time. The tannins are like fabric, delicate, a sensation of velvet that outlines the structure without ever dominating. Through it, a hint of pepper and oriental spices appears, like a glimmer, a detail that sublimates the wine from within.

The finish stretches into clarity: the fruit lightens, a more diffuse minerality reveals something almost airy that prolongs the sip without rushing it.

The story of a gentle intensity, a balance between earth and dream. A wine anchored, yet pierced by light.

Storage

Magnificent on the fruit from the first year, if it is given a shelter where freshness and humidity are in balance, this wine will wait, patiently, for 3 to 8 years, before revealing all the richness of its character.

Vintage 2023 in Valais

The vintage 2023 was like an unpredictable adventure for the vine, where the elements, sometimes gentle, sometimes cruel, seemed to want to challenge the patience and know-how of the winemaker. Spring, initially generous in rain, nourished the earth to excess, and as summer set in, the capricious sky alternated between burning heat and unexpected coolness. The vine, courageous but vulnerable, suffered trials, especially under the onslaught of the burning sun of July and August, which slowed down its natural course. And then, one day in July, hail struck, leaving scars on the leaves and grape clusters, but fortunately for the winemaker, the fine weather in August allowed some of the wounds to heal.

Since the beginning of May, the winemaker, like an attentive guardian, had been watching. Faced with the threats of mildew and powdery mildew, he protected his treasure with constant care, preserving what could be preserved. Thus, after a timid start in April, the vine, in fits and starts, took off. The flowering, in June, rapid and full of promise, gave hope for a generous harvest. The maturity of the grapes, although disparate, carried with it the promise of wines of rare quality, the fruit of this complicity between nature and man.

The harvest, generous, turned out to be similar to that of the previous year, even surpassing the expectations of recent decades. The sugar, in each grain, recalled the best years, close to 2019 for some grape varieties, evoking 2014 for others.

Thus, the 2023 vintage promises to be a subtle melody. The reds are dense while retaining a subtle elegance. They charm with their bouquets combining ripe fruits and delicate spices. The perfect balance between the silky softness of the tannins and a well-controlled acidity gives them a distinguished personality, both complex and refined.