Marie-Thérèse Chappaz

Marie-Thérèse Chappaz, often known as MTC, is widely considered Switzerland's most celebrated winemaker. She trained at the Changins federal school of viticulture and oenology and worked for six years at the school's cellar before taking over the family estate in Fully in 1987. The property has grown from roughly 1.5 hectares at takeover to approximately 10 hectares today, spread across some of the most vertiginous terraced slopes in Valais. The estate's cellar is housed in the historic Maison de la Liaudisaz, built by her great-uncle Maurice Troillet, a former President of the Valais Conseil d'État; several of her cuvées carry his name in tribute.

• Trained at Changins, the Swiss federal school of viticulture and oenology
• Took over family estate in Fully in 1987 after six years at the Changins cellar
• Estate expanded from approximately 1.5 hectares to roughly 10 hectares under her stewardship
• Cellar in Maison de la Liaudisaz, built by her great-uncle Maurice Troillet (former Valais Conseil d'État president)

Chappaz converted to biodynamic viticulture in 1997 after a formative meeting with Michel Chapoutier in Tain-l'Hermitage. The estate is farmed without herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic inputs. Two horses work the steepest parcels where mechanisation is impossible. Vine treatments include home-prepared infusions of horsetail and nettle, and cultivation follows the lunar cycle. Vinification employs only indigenous yeasts with minimal intervention, allowing each parcel and variety to express its own character.

• Biodynamic conversion 1997 following a meeting with Michel Chapoutier
• No herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic inputs anywhere on the estate
• Two horses work the steepest, otherwise inaccessible parcels
• Home-prepared horsetail and nettle infusions; treatments and work follow the lunar cycle
• Indigenous yeast fermentations with minimal-intervention vinification

Parcels span the south-facing slopes of Fully and the neighbouring commune of Charrat, with elevations from roughly 450 to 650 metres. Soils range from granite (notably at Les Claives, one of the most difficult hills to cultivate in Valais, with no road access and steep gradients), to limestone at Les Esserts in Charrat (the original 1,500 m² Pinot Noir parcel gifted to her by her father), to loess, alluvial deposits, and clay. Some vines were planted in 1924. Key named parcels include Les Claives, Combe d'Enfer, Les Esserts, and Coteaux de Plamont.

• South-facing slopes of Fully and Charrat at 450-650 metres elevation
• Granite at Les Claives, one of the steepest, roadless hills in Valais
• Limestone at Les Esserts (Charrat); the original 1,500 m² Pinot Noir parcel from her father
• Loess, alluvial, and clay across other holdings; some vines planted in 1924
• Named parcels: Les Claives, Combe d'Enfer, Les Esserts, Coteaux de Plamont

The estate produces a wide range of cuvées from indigenous and international grapes, including Petite Arvine, Fendant (Chasselas), Ermitage (Marsanne), Païen (also called Heida or Savagnin Blanc), Sylvaner, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cornalin, Humagne Rouge, Dôle, and traditional Valais blends including Cabernet-Merlot bottlings. The estate is particularly famous for its Grain Noble ConfidenCiel late-harvest sweet wines from Les Claives, often picked as late as Christmas after the first frost. The 2014 Petite Arvine received a 100-point score from Robert Parker, a first for any Swiss wine.

• Whites: Petite Arvine, Fendant (Chasselas), Ermitage (Marsanne), Païen (Heida/Savagnin Blanc), Sylvaner
• Reds: Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cornalin, Humagne Rouge, Dôle, Cabernet-Merlot blends
• Grain Noble ConfidenCiel: late-harvest sweet wines from Les Claives, often picked after first frost as late as Christmas
• 2014 Petite Arvine: 100-point Robert Parker score, the first ever for a Swiss wine

Chappaz is widely considered the foremost ambassador of Valais wine and one of the most influential biodynamic producers working in alpine viticulture. Production is small and her wines are difficult to acquire even within Switzerland, with very limited export. She is frequently cited alongside Madeleine Gay and Corine Clavien-Defayes as a defining figure in modern Swiss winemaking, particularly for elevating indigenous Valais varieties to international recognition.

• 1996: Switzerland's Winemaker of the Year (Gault Millau)
• 2015: Prix d'Excellence Lalique-Villa d'Este 'Lady of Wine'
• 2016: Icône des vins Suisses (Gault Millau)
• Robert Parker 100-point score for the 2014 Petite Arvine
• Production is small; wines are difficult to acquire even within Switzerland and rarely exported