The grape is Gringet. It grows exclusively in Ayze's calcareous scree soils — loose, rocky, mineral-dense ground left behind by alpine glaciation. In the glass it produces light whites with floral notes of jasmine and glycine, stone fruit, and a signature character the French call "pomme au four" — baked apple, warm and fragrant.

Pernuit came to Gringet through loss. A former Parisian and competitive cyclist, he moved to Beaune in 2000 to study winemaking, then spent a decade at Château de Mérande in Arbin, helping convert the estate to biodynamics. In 2018, he joined Dominique Belluard in Ayze. Belluard was Gringet's greatest champion, the winemaker who had proved this obscure alpine variety could produce wines of depth and precision. He became Pernuit's close friend and mentor. That same year, Belluard died.

Pernuit founded Les Vins de Belema in 2019. The name braids together the names of his wife and daughters. He farms roughly three hectares and works in clay amphora and concrete eggs with indigenous yeasts. He has also planted Étraire de la Dhuy — a grape so rare he is the only producer in the region growing it — alongside Mondeuse and Altesse.

He rejects the local appellation, preferring the broader IGP Vin des Allobroges. The Revue du Vin de France named him one of fourteen new vignerons to follow in 2025.

"I'm not doing anything revolutionary," Pernuit says. "Understanding the place and what surrounds us is most important." He also describes his wines as "vins de fainéant" — lazy wines. The altitude and the scree do much of the work. He just has to listen.