Who makes it
Hammel was one of Switzerland's largest wine operations. Charles Rolaz decided it would become a smaller one. Over recent decades, the estate contracted from roughly 350 hectares to 160, shedding vineyards not to cut costs but to concentrate farming effort on ground worth the attention. That deliberate reduction is the clearest thing to understand about Hammel today: scale was chosen against, and what remained was reshaped.
Headquartered at Rolle on the northern shore of Lake Geneva, Hammel now manages 160 hectares spread across four AOC zones in Vaud and into the Valais. Rolaz has been publicly direct about the logic: "We don't want to be larger, but better." The biodynamic commitments that came after the contraction are a consequence of that. When there is less land, it becomes possible to farm it differently.
Where it grows
Lake Geneva's northern shore divides into distinct wine country depending on which direction you travel from Lausanne. West toward Geneva, the La Côte AOC runs along a gentle slope above the lake, with Rolle near its midpoint. East of Lausanne, the Lavaux AOC rises into UNESCO-listed terraced vineyards carved directly into steep hillsides above the water, where retained heat from the lake, the sun, and the stone walls keeps grapes ripening through the late season. Further east, at the lake's far end where the Rhône enters from the mountains, the Chablais AOC produces wines with more mineral character and firmer acidity than the softer La Côte zone. Inland from there, the Valais AOC follows the Rhône valley upriver into continental conditions: hotter summers, drier air, and a different set of grape possibilities.
How it is made
The cellar
Biodynamic farming across portions of 160 hectares means cover crops, compost applications timed to lunar and seasonal cycles, and the elimination of synthetic herbicides and pesticides. At Bolliattaz, Demeter certification requires that the farming is audited externally, not self-declared. The practical effect in the vineyard is lower-intervention soil biology, deeper root development over time, and a different relationship between the vine and the water table.
At Clos du Châtelard, the Cabernet Franc and Merlot that go into Hypérion are aged to build the dense, layered tannin profile the wine is known for. The ageing timeline runs long: the wine is designed for 12 to 15 or more years in bottle, which requires that the tannins are ripe enough to integrate and the acidity is sufficient to sustain the wine across that period. Barrel work during elevage shapes the tannin grain and contributes spice. The Pinot Noir Barrique from the same vineyard goes through oak ageing separately.
What they make
Hammel's range spans four AOC zones, with indigenous Swiss varieties at the base and Bordeaux varieties at the top of the premium tier.
La Côte AOC wines from the Rolle zone include Chasselas whites, the grape that forms the backbone of most white Vaud wine. Chasselas produces pale, dry whites with low aromatics, light acidity, and a clean, stone-fresh finish that pairs naturally with lake fish and fondue. It is not a grape that builds in the bottle; it is made for the table.
Wines to try
First bottle
Hypérion, Clos du Châtelard Grand Cru Villeneuve 2020. Cabernet Franc and Merlot, aged in barrel, built for 12 to 15 or more years in bottle. On the nose: wild berries, elderberry, and spice. On the palate: blackcurrant, plum, and dark cherry with violet and licorice underneath and a long, firm finish. The tannins are dense and need four to five years minimum before the wine opens fully. This is not a casual bottle; it is the wine that shows what Hammel's reduced, more carefully managed estate can produce when it commits to a single vineyard and a long timeline.