Discovering the wines of Valaisan Christophe Abbet

When the invitation to a tasting of wines by Martigny winemaker Christophe Abbet came from Le Flacon, a wine store in Carouge, I decided to go because I like the atmosphere of the store and respect the judgment of the manager, François Groulet. The Frenchman is a sommelier formerly with the Michelin-starred Le Cygne restaurant that closed when the Noga Hilton became the Kempinski. The selection of wines featured at Le Flacon includes Swiss vintages Groulet thinks are particularly fine.

On the invitation to the tasting, Groulet described Abbet as ”inspired”, and his wines as ”full of character and elegance.” A quick Google yielded the information that the winemaker has something of a cult following in Switzerland and seems to inspire a love-him-or-hate-him vibe. Among the mostly glowing outpourings on the net were a few disdainful comments from people who’d been disappointed by a bottle of Abbet wine.

Abbet turned out to be a private yet friendly 40 something with a good sense of humor and an artist’s approach to wine making. (He is in fact also an artist, and designs his own labels in his calligraphic cum ink splotch style). By an artist’s approach I mean that what’s important to him is experimentation, creation, although he says he produces certain wines year after year out of consideration for his clients’ desire for continuity. But each year also brings new, perhaps one-of-a-kind, perhaps once-in-a-blue-moon wines.

Some might also call Abbet’s marketing approach artistic as well. Beyond a business card, he has no documentation, no website; he prefers to be with his clients, connecting with them via tasting and discussing his wines.

When our conversation turned to his truly fabulous dessert wine Ambre - he was serving the 2004 vintage of this late harvest blend of Arvine and Ermitage that was about 60% botrytized - he suddenly disappeared to fetch a wine he wasn’t presenting at the tasting. This was Goetia, also a 2004, ”the essence of Ambre”, which the winemaker has so little of  it’s not officially for sale, connoisseurs just know to ask for it. Because fermentation unstopped eats away at alcohol and turns it into sugar, this only had a 6% alcohol content and it was so sugary that if a drop spilled on a surface it was actually sticky. The wine was sensational, and Abbet said he recommended drinking just one small glass of it, without food, to mark a special moment.

Another highly interesting wine was L’Air du Temps, or Sign of the Times in English. This was a 2003, like Goetia one of those occasional wines, a blend of Chardonnay, Ermitage and Arvine. Abbet has clearly sensed the rising interest in deliberately oxidized wine that can be seen internationally, for example, in the fashion for French Jura vin jaune.

How exactly Abbet makes L’Air du Temps is not clear, but would have to involve aging for several years in a wooden cask that lets in a small amount of oxygen. It has the brownish tinge of oxidized white wine, and that nutty complex flavor that grows on you. The wine can be enjoyed a number of ways, apéritif, with certain cheeses, even with some poultry dishes.

Having had a decade’s worth of opportunity to observe the general run of expat tastes in Swiss wines, I would say both versions of Ambre were guaranteed palate pleasers albeit not particularly wallet-friendly. Some - notably lovers of sherry, or even port or Madeira, where the long aging time of the solera method allows for some oxidation - might also give the thumbs up to L’Air du Temps.

The other wines Abbet was presenting were more in a Swiss style that newcomers to the scene often have trouble with. These were Arvine 2008, a white, and four reds: Gamay de Fully Vieille Vigne 2007; Cornalin 2008; Syrah 2008; and Humagne Rouge 2007. Arvine, Cornalin and Humagne are grape varieties pretty much exclusive to Valais, and Ermitage is what the Valaisans call the Marsanne grape variety.

The Arvine was a particular winner, and although I am not usually a fan of Humagne Rouge, I enjoyed this one. The fruity un-wooded Syrah needed another year or more of cellaring before fully coming into its own, and epitomized the differences in the way Swiss vinify varieties that are also New World favorites.

Anyone expecting Syrah to be a heavily wooded, concentrated wine with residual sugar and higher alcohol levels (14,5% even 15,5% as opposed to around 11-12%) will be surprised by, and may not like, this style. The trick however is to recognize that grape varieties - depending on where they are grown and how they are vinified - can taste completely different and that one way of doing things is not necessarily ‘’better than” another. It’s a question of preference, and one thing is for sure: the greater the wine knowledge, the more open both mind and palate.

Abbet’s wines can be bought directly from him, or at Le Flacon. They also feature on the wine lists of top restaurants like Michelin-starred Le Terminus, Didier de Courten’s restaurant in Sierre (Valais).

Christophe Abbet, Rue du Bourg 18, 1920 Martigny (Valais). T 079 287 97 33.

Le Flacon Wines, Spirits and Fine Products, Rue Vautier 45, 1227 Carouge (Geneva). T 022 342 15 20. The same owner has a wine bar, Qu’importe, just across the street.