René Desbaillets, Domaine des Abeilles d'Or, Chouilly/Genève
Originally from the small hamlet of "Les Baillets" in the heart of the Geneva winegrowing district, the Desbaillets family is mentioned in local archives going back over 500 years. Domaine des Abeilles d'Or has developed a fine reputation, and is run today by current generation René Desbaillets. The estate has some 34 hectares of vines in the village of Chouilly, which is in the Satigny district - today the largest winegrowing district in Switzerland. Vines grow here at an altitude of between 450 and 500 meters, on clay loam soils over porous sandstone bedrock. Réné, ably assisted by his winemaker son Larent (recent graduate of the winemaking school at Changins) makes a wide range of red, rosé, white, and sparkling wines here. Of particular note is the estate's Douce Noire, an oaked red blend of international and Swiss varieties, which regularly sweeps the board in competitions.
A heraldic note - on the family crest (see right) the blue represents the sky, Justice and Beauty, the Golden bees symbolize wealth and nobility. The striped band represents virtue, ardour, love and courage. Nothing could better describe the wonderful landscape of hills around Chouilly, and the great wines and character of the producer!
Roger Burgdorfer, Domaine du Paradis, Satigny
I first came across Domaine du Paradis many years ago, when in my pre-wine trade days on a business trip to Geneva I sought the advice of a local wine merchant on a decent bottle of local red to bring home - this was in the days when you could carry wine on planes - and was sold a bottle of the Domaine's Pont des Soupirs rouge, which was exquisite. Imagine my surprise, when next in Geneva, and invited to a wine-loving colleague's flat for dinner, when he opened another bottle of the same wine! One of the most fascinating producers in the Geneva region, the Domaine has 40 hectares of vines on sloping hills near the village of Satigny. The estate is owned by Roger and Rosette Burgdorfer, who look after the vineyards, whilst oenologue Didier Cornut, who has worked with the Burgdorfers since 1991, is in charge of winemaking. The estate philosophy is to limit the use of chemicals in both the farming and winemaking. Roger and Didier share a wacky sense of humour, evidenced by their tasting room and wine labels, which are adorned with countless devils and angels in a "heaven and hell" theme. Paradis produces a wide range of wines from about 20 different grape varietals, and makes both unblended and blended wines. Of particular note are the wines bearing the "Pont des Soupirs" (Bridge of sighs) name - a white Viognier and the stunning red blend mentioned earlier - Pont des Soupirs Rouge is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Gamaret - and some of the single varietals such as the Syrah, and unusually for Switzerland a Zinfandel - undoubtedly influenced by Didier having spent spent several years in California working as an oenologue.