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The chasselas
The Chasselas plays an important part in the image, identity and culture of Switzerland. It is appreciated in French-speaking Switzerland for its fruitiness, freshness and delicacy.
The king of grape varieties – is the typical white grape variety of French-speaking Switzerland. Chasselas evolves over time, from production methods to consumer requirements, always seeking harmony between the plant, the growing methods and its environment. It adapts while asserting its typicality, balance and elegance.
The Chasselas provides fruity and aromatic vintages that represent all degrees of richness; from the light and easy to drink types to the full-bodied and alcoholic characters of certain Dézaley or Mont-sur-Rolle…
- Château Rochefort,
A wine-growing estate where nature is queen. Facing the blue waters of Lake Geneva, Château Rochefort proudly overlooks its sun-exposed vines. A magical place in the heart of La Côte which stands out among the great growths of La Côte vaudoise.
Its vineyard,
A confidential 4-hectare estate, managed by the City of Lausanne, Château Rochefort offers a wide variety of soils that are favourable to the planting of several grape varieties, both white and red, such as Chasselas, Pinot gris, Gamaret, Garanoir and Merlot.
The vineyard is ideally exposed on the hillside facing Lake Geneva. Terroir, tradition, grape varieties and know-how give the Château Rochefort crus a beautiful complexity and a high quality which make the reputation of the Château Rochefort crus.
Since 2009, this estate has been entirely cultivated using biodynamic methods. Synthetic molecules, now banned, are replaced by plant extracts, decoctions and herbal teas, energised by following the lunar and planetary rhythms.
- Abbaye de Mont,
The Lausanne chapter of the estate did not begin until the beginning of the 19th century, in 1802, when the town acquired it at the time of the sale of national property. This was a milestone in Lausanne’s wine-growing history: it was the first time that the commune had vineyards in the region and, above all, outside Lavaux.
As in Lavaux, the Chasselas is at home here. It represents more than 70% of the production. In red, Pinot Noir and Gamay are in the majority, although Gamaret and Garanoir are also grown. The clayey character of the terroir gives the white wines of the Abbaye de Mont a fruity appearance, while the reds are characterised by their racy and harmonious side.
In biodynamic farming since 2016
- Domaine du Burignon
It was in 1802, at the time of the sale of national property, that Lausanne acquired these sloping vineyards whose wine was already renowned far and wide. As everywhere in Lavaux, it was not until the 12th century and the arrival of Cistercian monks that viticulture began to flourish on this hillside. It was the monastery of Haut-Crêt near Palézieux, of which no trace remains today, which inherited these lands and turned them into famous parchments. They were then secularised with the arrival of the Bernese and the Reformation in the Waldensian lands.
In Lavaux, the Chasselas remained lord and master. The Burignon is no exception since 70% of the almost six hectares of the estate are devoted to it. The reds also manage to take advantage of the region’s particularly mineral terroir. Pinot Noir, a long-time regular at the estate, alone accounts for 80% of the red wine production.
- Clos des Moines
It was not until the beginning of the 20th century that the current name entered the common language. Until then, the estate was more often called Dézaley d’En Haut (as opposed to En Bas, which became Clos des Abbayes) or Dézaley de Hautcrêt. This last name sheds light on the history of the area. The Cistercian monks of the Abbey of Haut-Crêt, near Palézieux, received this land in the 12th century and transformed it into vineyards. Six hundred years later, Lausanne bought the estate in 1802 when it was sold as national property. It is hard to imagine, looking at the good condition of the land and the small funicular that runs through it, that the City had left the estate almost abandoned around 1830.
Sun-drenched bunches of grapes
The Dézaley hillside is undoubtedly the best exposed area in all of Lavaux. No wonder then that the wines produced here have been carrying a fine reputation for centuries. At Clos des Moines, as everywhere in Lavaux, Chasselas is the benchmark grape variety. The reds here represent only 10% of the production.
- Clos des Abbayes
It is difficult to understand the plural of its name. Le Clos is in fact the fruit of the work of the monks of a single abbey, that of Montheron, who inherited these lands in 1142 from the Bishop of Lausanne. In 1536, the Reformation arrived on the shores of Lake Geneva and the Bernese with it. All church property was secularised. The Clos des Abbayes, then called Dézaley de Montheron or En Bas, was bequeathed to the City of Lausanne in exchange for its submission and the loss of its title as an imperial city. In 1935, after the renovation and construction of new buildings, the painter René Auberjonois was commissioned to decorate the reception hall. The nakedness of his Belle du Dézaley caused an outcry, the echoes of which can still be heard in the vat room.
Sloping Chasselas
The Clos des Abbayes has the same characteristics as the Clos des Moines, its almost Siamese brother, apart from its method of cultivation, which here is done in a goblet. It is therefore not surprising that the production has strong similarities. The spectacular slopes and the morainic soil are perfectly suited to Chasselas, which accounts for more than 80% of the production, leaving a little room for Chardonnay and red grape varieties. Here, Gamay, Merlot, Syrah and Diolinoir give rise to harmonious blends.
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