La Maison Carrée

Lake Neuchâtel cuts a dramatic long, ice-blue thin slice into the landscape of northwest Switzerland, providing stunning vistas along its nearly 40 km length. Vines meander up the gentle slopes that rise from the water, set against a backdrop of the Jura Mountains and the surrounding Bernese Alps, all stunningly mirrored in the shimmering lake. Winemaking began here in the 15th century–and until the 1900s– the hillsides of villages around Lake Neuchâtel were covered with vines and most people made their living from grapes or fishing. 

Amongst this bucolic glory, Jean-Denis Perrochet of La Maison Carrée crafts serious Swiss wines in Auvernier,a charming village which bordersthe lake just south of the city of Neuchâtel. The Perrochet family have deep roots in this area, going back over 900 years, and they began making wine in the 16th century. The family acquired the historic building called La Maison Carrée in 1827, and six generations of Parrochets have tended the vines for their eponymous domaine. In 1991 Jean-Denis took the reigns, and he and his wife Christine have spent over 30 years devoted to elevating Swiss wines. They were joined in 2015 by their son Alexandre, and now all three are the minds, hearts and hands behind this 10-hectare estate.

When Jean-Denis took over, he made the bold decision to transition to organic farming. Fraught with misunderstanding, Swiss organic wines had a turbulent history of bad craftsmanship and their reputation was so poor that some organic winemakers began removing the word organic from their labels! But Jean-Denis had tasted great organic wines from other regions and was determined the same could be done with his vines.

In 2012, he began practising biodynamics, for both health and ecological benefits. Biodynamics is still considered an extreme practice in Switzerland, even in more temperate areas, but it is especially difficult in the marginal climates that produce Pinot Noir. It’s not an easy commitment to make, but Jean-Denis knows his soil, health, grape quality and expression of terroir within his wines have improved in countless ways.

“Although this way of doing things does not make things simpler, it makes them more exciting! For us, this path is the future of our land and its culture, for our vines and their maintenance,” he says.

Many elements of the winemaking at La Maison Carrée remain unchanged from generations past– including a vertical press which has been in service here since 1872 and an oak barrel cellar, which is a rarity in Switzerland. The domaine also makes their own compost, from garden clippings, leaves, wood etc, and dynamises this into a preparation that is spread on the vines. Jean-Denis is not afraid to embrace new ideas– but has discovered those insights often end up being new ways of thinking about old ideas– like biodynamics and sustainable farming.

Jean-Denis considers the domaine defenders of a winemaking heritage that expresses regional identity and thus focuses on classic varieties of the region: Chasselas (35%), Pinot Noir (50%), Savagnin (15%), Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. The domaine’s emphasis on Pinot Noir includes several oak-aged reds, rare in a region where most Pinot Noir is used for rosé. Several years ago he wanted to produce more Chardonnay, and since the domaine has plenty of Chasselas, he overdrafted new Chardonnay vines to old Chasselas trunks. And he now is the only producer of Savagnin, having found one plot with ideal soils for this grape which is significant in the nearby Jura. 

“The oenologist is neither an alchemist nor a magician. We know that the quality of our wines depends more than 70% on the vines. This is why, in the cellar, we prefer to preserve and exploit… the potential given by nature, rather than seeking to improve it artificially.”

The actual La Maison Carrée, ‘square house’, is now a cluster of small connected spaces, the oldest of which dates to 1500. A traditional vaulted roof fisherman’s house was converted to a farmhouse in the 1800s, expanded several times over, and now houses the winemaking chai, the ageing cellar, offices and the family home. 

In the cellar, grapes are destemmed, moved to 2-meter deep cement tanks by hand and punched down with air pressure. About half the juice comes directly from this crush. The skins and pips put are loaded into a historic vertical basket press with a fork, and the noisy old press ratchets back and forth for a full day. There are no pumps and modern gizmos, even the weights of each harvest entering the cave are carefully noted in chalk on the wood walls and ceiling. 

There is no stainless steel at La Maison Carrée, only a collection of oak barrels, some as old as 1905. The Swiss love of precision often extends to winemaking and most wineries use temperature-controlled metal tanks and it is very rare to have only oak. La Maison Carrée wines age on the less in giant 10,000 hl foudres that are intricately carved with the crests of the Perrochet family– men on the left and women on the right. (USE PIC OF BARRELS OR PRESS)

The goal in the cellar is as little intervention as possible. Jean-Denis says, “the winemaker is there to cultivate the vines and obtain the grapes. During vinification, he is around the fermentation process just to allow the wine to best express the characteristics of its origin.”

Jean-Denis’ efforts have led to a signature style which has gathered global acclaim. Swiss wines are still difficult to find abroad, as the country exports only two percent of its total wine production– and one gets the sense they like to keep the especially good ones for themselves. All of which makes us extra proud to present these refined, elegant wines.