Domaine Adrien Berlioz

Domaine Adrien Berlioz

【Wines of real artistry, mirroring the soul of Savoie】

Adrien Berlioz, a cousin of Gilles Berlioz, founded his domaine at Vivier in 2006. He is a grower of enormous talent and drive.

His work in the vines is exacting and admits no compromise. Some five hectares — among them steeply pitched parcels at 390 metres above the little village of Chignin — form a beautiful mosaic of the Savoie, and every one of them is farmed organically.

Even the vines on the sharpest slopes are worked biodynamically; the domaine was certified by Demeter in 2020.

The parcels lie on hard rock and limestone at gradients that sometimes reach 50%, planted with the classic Savoie varieties — Jacquère, Altesse, Malvoisie, Bergeron (Roussanne), Mondeuse and Persan — all grown without chemical fertilisers.

In the cellar he ferments in a range of different vessels and uses no sulphites.

Made in tiny quantities and now desperately hard to find, his energetic, varied, forthright cuvées are widely admired: thoroughly modern, yet rooted in the identity of the Savoie.

They gain ground every year and age with real grace, and through sheer hard work and a rigorous biodynamic approach Adrien has become one of the most celebrated growers in Savoie.

Fourteen different cuvées from barely five hectares means production is very limited indeed, and wine of such craftsmanship is not easily come by.

From bottles full of poise and purity flows deep, moving juice, all finesse and length; Adrien's wines give endless pleasure.

The variety, the energy and the frankness of each gracefully maturing cuvée are things to marvel at.

Year after year he confirms his standing as the region's finest producer, and he has become a model for the young growers reaching for greater heights in the vineyards of the Alps.