Dézaley Grand Cru tasting - Switzerland's finest Chasselas

How to Complete

5 steps curated by Wine Memories

1. 📜 1

   Touch the Walls Cistercian Monks Built by Hand in 1141

   history Free

   In 1141 the Bishop of Lausanne gave this wild hillside to Cistercian monks. They built 10,000 terraces by hand, connected by 450 km of dry-stone walls. You're about to walk what they built.

   This is the Appellation Dezaley's self-guided discovery loop: 1 hour 50 minutes, 238 meters elevation, five metallic archway gates marking your passage through the Grand Cru zone. Start at Epesses train station (R4 from Lausanne, free with Swiss Travel Pass) and follow yellow 'Terrasses de Lavaux' signs. Find the first archway at the intersection of Chemin du Calamin and Chemin du Dezaley — the border between Switzerland's only two Grand Crus. Count the three things that ripen grapes here: actual sun, Lake Geneva reflecting heat upward, and stone terrace walls radiating warmth at night. Touch the nearest stone wall at the viewpoint above En Dezaley and remember: someone built this by hand in 1141 because they believed grapes could grow here.

   🔄 BACKUP: If you miss the trailhead, Cully station (one stop west) also places you at the Dezaley loop. Follow 'Terrasses de Lavaux' east toward Epesses.

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2. 🍷 2

   Ask the 17th-Generation Biodynamic Farmer His Oldest Story

   wine $$

   Blaise Duboux is the 17th generation of his family on Epesses soil, 500 years continuous. He's one of the only biodynamic farmers on Lavaux's 30%-gradient terraces.

   Blaise Duboux is 17 generations deep in these vines, his ancestors farming this same Epesses and Dezaley soil since the 1500s. He's one of the only producers in Lavaux farming biodynamically on slopes steeper than 30%, owning 1.5 ha in Dezaley Grand Cru and 0.5 ha in Calamin Grand Cru. His cellar in Epesses village opens every Saturday 9am-3pm, where he leads vineyard walks through his terraces then takes you for tastings. Ask to compare 'Haut de Pierre' (his Dezaley from the highest stone terraces) against his Epesses 'Le Muret' — same grape, same farmer, same elevation, but you'll taste exactly what terroir means when two vines 80 meters apart taste completely different.

   🔄 BACKUP: If Blaise is at a market, Lavaux Vinorama at Rivaz stocks Duboux wines. The dezaley.ch site lists all 27 member estates with contacts.

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3. 🍷 3

   Compare Three Terroirs in One CHF 22 Tasting Flight

   wine $

   Lavaux Vinorama is built into the Rivaz hillside above the lake: 300+ wines, floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the UNESCO terraces. The expert tasting at CHF 22 is the best-value wine education in Switzerland.

   Request the CHF 22 'expert package' at Lavaux Vinorama (Route du Lac 2, Rivaz): five wines walking you through Chasselas from Villette, Epesses, and Dezaley Grand Cru. Same grape, completely different wines — the Dezaley Grand Cru will be richer, longer, more textured, showing you the tasteable difference between Grand Cru and AOC Lavaux. The building is built into the hillside beside a waterfall, with Lake Geneva spread out below. Walk in any time (Wed-Sat 10:30am-7:30pm, extended hours May-Oct), no booking required. Ask for a Dezaley Grand Cru from a small producer and prepare for a wine education.

   🔄 BACKUP: If Vinorama is closed (Monday-Tuesday outside summer), Caves du Versant in nearby Cully stocks full-range Lavaux wines with a walk-in tasting bar.

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4. ⛰️ 4

   Eat the Fish From the Lake That Ripens the Wine Above It

   adventure $$

   Filets de perche, Lake Geneva perch in lemon-butter-and-Chasselas sauce, with a glass from the terrace visible through the window. Not a pairing. A place.

   Filets de perche (perch fillets from Lac Leman) is the defining meal of Vaud wine culture — fish pulled from the exact body of water whose reflection ripens your wine, served pan-fried in lemon-butter sauce made with Chasselas. Book ahead at L'Auberge du Vigneron (Epesses village, 5 minutes from the train station) and order an Epesses or Dezaley Grand Cru from the list. Watch the three suns from your table: the sun descending behind Mont Blanc, the lake surface going silver, and the dark stone walls still radiating afternoon heat. You can literally observe the forces that created your wine while drinking it.

   🔄 BACKUP: If Auberge du Vigneron is full, Restaurant du Lac in Rivaz serves excellent filets de perche lakeside. Every restaurant in the Lavaux zone has the dish.

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5. 📜 5

   Walk 27 Winemakers Pouring on Their Own Terrace in October

   Optional

   history Free

   Once a year, every Dezaley producer opens a stand along 3 km of Grand Cru terrace. Heritage guides walk you from the station. This is the one day the gates open.

   'Un Dimanche en Dezaley' happens once per year (last Sunday of October — 2025: October 26) when 27 winemakers stand at their own plots, pouring Dezaley Grand Cru directly from the terroir where it grew. Find Luc Massy at his 'Chemin de Fer' plot — wine named after the Paris-to-Milan railway being built when his ancestor Albert bought the land in 1903. The route runs 3km between Chemin de la Dame and Epesses within the Grand Cru zone, with heritage guide pedibus walks from Rivaz and Epesses stations. No tickets, no velvet ropes, no reservation — just arrive by train from Lausanne or Vevey since parking is impossible.

   🔄 BACKUP: Outside the event, the full 27-producer list is on dezaley.ch under 'Wine Cellars.' Email info@dezaley.ch to connect with specific producers for private visits.

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Insider Tips

• ✦

  Compare Dézaley from multiple producers - Blaise Duboux and Luc Massy are exceptional

• ✦

  Book through Lavaux Vinorama for organized Grand Cru experiences

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  The terroir expression of Chasselas here is unlike anywhere else in the world