Domaine Belema Ab Ovo 2022
Domaine Belema Ab Ovo 2022 – alternate view 2
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Domaine Belema Ab Ovo 2022

Domaine Belema
$35.00

Grape: Gringet, Altesse
Vintage: 2022
Type: White

This skin-contact white wine is a unique alpine blend of old-vine gringet and young altesse grown in the Savoie region. The hand-harvested grapes undergo a five-week whole-bunch skin maceration before being pressed directly into traditional clay amphorae. The juice ferments spontaneously with native vineyard yeasts and ages for twelve months inside the clay vessels without temperature controls. Bypassing modern filtration and commercial additions, the wine is bottled entirely unfined and without any added sulfur.

It pours a hazy amber-gold color, releasing distinctive aromas of dried apricot, citrus rind, white flowers, and fresh mountain herbs. On the palate, a medium-bodied frame pairs stone fruit flavors with a distinct, tea-like tannin structure. A gentle phenolic grip frames the mid-palate cleanly, balanced by a sharp beam of mineral acidity. Subtle notes of raw hazelnut and wet rock add depth across the textured mouthfeel. It finishes completely bone-dry, leaving a lingering trace of salinity.

Winery

Domaine Belema is Yann Pernuit’s small project in Ayse, in the alpine landscape of Haute-Savoie. Before beginning the label in 2019, he worked at Château de Mérande and alongside Dominique Belluard, gaining extensive experience with the region’s grapes and biodynamic farming. The first wines used locally purchased fruit while Yann established his own vineyards. Gringet, Altesse, Mondeuse and the rare Étraire de la Dui connect the domaine to Savoie’s diverse and sometimes fragile vineyard heritage.

Organic and biodynamic practices guide the work, with attention to the living landscape around the young plantings. In the cellar, limited intervention and vessels such as sandstone amphorae and terracotta eggs allow the grapes to develop without heavy oak influence. The range includes Gringet in different forms, from Imago to the skin-contact Ab Ovo, alongside Altesse and local reds. These wines present Savoie as a place of varied textures and serious vineyard expression, carrying forward the region’s traditions through a grower building something distinctly his own.