In a small vineyard by size, pioneers have passed the relay to a new generation of winegrowers who make quality climb quality.
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“No, the wines of Apremont are not only wines intended for fondue and raclette.” Thomas Lorival, co -director and sommelier of the Clos des Sens, in Annecy, three -star restaurant in the Michelin guide, continues to scrap against received ideas. It is true that the reputation of Savoy wines has not always been flattering and that it will still take time for the extraordinary dynamism observed for ten years to translate into equivalent notoriety. However, amateurs know this, this alpine vineyard is more and more talked about. Rightly.
Historically ten times more extensive than today, it has gradually reduced as a sorrowful skin, shaken by the phylloxera crisis as well as by the industrialization and urbanization of the region. Its 2,077 hectares, which produce 16 million bottles per year, are a drop of water on a hexagon scale (0.55 % of the PDO vines) and weigh less than an appellation as Châteauneuf-du-Pape , for example.
a multitude of terroirs
The vineyard is distributed on an arc starting on the south shore of Lake Geneva, passing through the Arve Valley and then sliding towards Lac du Bourget and the Rives du Rhône, then south, between Chambéry and Albertville (Savoie), where the Combe de Savoie is revealed, which concentrates 75 % of local wine production. Some deserted areas are also the subject of replants, such as those, in particular, of Philippe Héritier, winemaker and heliciculturalist, and the star chef Jean Sulpice, on the banks of Lake Annecy.
The protected name scheme is extremely simple. There are only three: the AOP Vin-de-Savoie, the AOP Roussette-de-Savoie and the AOP Seyssel, the oldest (1942), to which is added the IGP (protected geographic indication) Vin-des-Allobroges. But the case becomes more complex with the 21 geographic denominations, these ancient wines which appear on the labels. These singularize the vineyard from north to south and have famous names Ripaille, Ayze, Chautagne, Jongieux, Marestel, Apremont, Chignin-Bergeron, Arbin … A multitude of terroirs which have in common to enjoy a continental climate tempered by The decisive lake influence from the Lake, Annecy and Le Bourget lakes.
In this mountain landscape, the vines were planted mainly between 250 and 450 meters above sea level, sometimes on slopes up to 60 % but enjoying better exposures to the sun. In a context of global warming, the grapes, yesterday very acidic, are today reaching beautiful matures while remaining fresh and give wines that display moderate degrees of alcohol.
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