La Falize

We tend to associate Belgium with the grain rather than the grape, but could that change over the coming years? Perhaps – if the superb La Falize Chardonnay is anything to go by.

There’s a surprisingly rich history of winemaking in Belgium dating back to the Middle Ages. It came to an abrupt halt in the early Nineteenth Century owing, above all, to the volcanic eruption of the Mount Tamboura in Indonesia. That lead to ‘the year without summer’ in 1816 when an ash cloud meant grape vines failed to ripen and were uprooted, throughout Belgium, in favour of cereals.

But today, some two centuries on, winemaking here is renascent. At the forefront in terms of quality is La Falize, established in 2012 by Baron Frederik de Mevius and the crack duo of winemaker Peter Colemont and Sylvain Pellegrinelli (formerly Chef de Culture at Domaine Leflaive and now at DRC).

Farmed biodynamically, this remarkable property is located 35 miles south-east of Brussels in the Meuse Valley, whose climate, with temperatures comparable to Burgundy’s thirty years ago, and clay-limestone soil make it happy home for Chardonnay.

The resulting wine resembles fine Saint-Aubin or even Puligny with its combination of tension and impressive weight of fruit. It is raised François Frères barriques (primarily new) which is seamlessly integrated. The long, saline only confirms its class.