Dézaley - 2024

Between the villages of Chexbres and Saint-Saphorin, Pierre-Luc Leyvraz is a happy man. It is one of the first Swiss wines to have been spotted and applauded by Robert Parker. Prizes and praise have followed one another for more than twenty years (Chasselas Cup, Swiss Wine Grand Prix, Terravin Platinum Laureates). It must be said that his success is not due to chance: this craftsman does everything or almost everything himself. From pruning the vines, where mechanisation is impossible because of the slope of the hillsides, to bottling, Pierre-Luc Leyvraz (PLL for his friends) is everywhere. When he joined the family estate at the age of 17, he already planted plants which, 36 years later, will give him back his patience. His sense of work well done and his passion for his vines has made him one of the Swiss references in Chasselas. This grape variety represents two thirds of his production. PLL is a member of Arte Vitis, an association of 13 innovative winegrowers in the Canton of Vaud. According to him, the land is blessed. The soil, formed 15,000 years ago during the folding of the earth's crust and the formation of the Alps, gives the plants a particular minerality (very calcareous and not very clayey) which is the signature of Chasselas.

An excellent Chasselas, this Dézaley from Pierre-Yves Leyvraz! The terroir is ideal, composed of chalky and silty soils, well compacted at depth, allowing a solid rooting of the plants on the Lavaux slopes.

The Dézaley Grand Cru is quite clear, but with a nose full of complexity. The fruit is very ripe and harbours light roasted coffee aromas. On the palate it is well structured, firm and ripe. Balanced in terms of acidity, it perfectly combines salinity, mineral tension and freshness, with a beautiful and persistent finish. A perfect wine for an aperitif on a terrace!