Matthias Orsett

Matthias Orsett is a young winemaker who settled in the steep hills of Switzerland in 2021 after completing his training in Jura with Emmanuelle Houillon and Pierre Overnoy. His estate comprises one hectare in Fully and Bex, which he manages alone. Situated between 460 and 870 meters above sea level, the vineyards are exclusively worked by hand and cultivated using organic farming methods. Treatments are carried out using fermented plant extracts reducing the use of sulfur and copper. The shallow, rocky soils — limestone scree in Bex and gneiss in Fully — are left untilled. After harvest grapes are de-stemmed using a traditional sieve and pressed with an old Marmonier vertical ratchet press dating back to the early 20th century. The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts and go through no fining or filtration.

Each cuvée is single plot and single variety to focus on the identity of the grape and the terroir. The white wines, with the exception of the Chasselas L’Arene, are aged for 9 months on the fine lees or total lees in second-hand Burgundian barrels. The red wines focus on fruit and freshness, low in tannins and without interventional extraction techniques (punch downs, delestage). The grapes are always destemmed, depending on the cuvée some reds are barrel-aged for 9 months after pressing. Wines in barrel are blended and rested for two months before being bottled by gravity, then rest for 4 months in bottle.