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France

Savoie

2 200 ha under vine

Soils
Limestone scree of alpine landslides, glacial moraine, pockets of schist
Climate
Mountain-continental, softened by lakes Bourget and Geneva

On the map

Savoie — 2 200 haLanguedoc — 220 000 haBordeaux — 110 000 haSicily — 98 000 haVeneto — 96 000 haPuglia — 87 000 haSouthern Rhône — 66 000 haRioja — 66 000 haTuscany — 60 000 haLoire Valley — 57 000 haEmilia-Romagna — 50 000 haKakheti — 48 000 haSouth-West France — 45 000 haPiedmont — 43 000 haDouro — 43 000 haChampagne — 34 000 haAbruzzo — 33 000 haUtiel-Requena — 32 000 haBurgundy — 29 500 haProvence — 27 000 haSardinia — 27 000 haFriuli — 25 000 haRibera del Duero — 25 000 haPenedès — 25 000 haPfalz — 23 000 haCampania — 23 000 haAlentejo — 22 000 haMinho — 21 000 haRueda — 20 000 haDão — 20 000 haMarche — 16 000 haAlsace — 15 600 haBeaujolais — 13 500 haBurgenland — 13 000 haUmbria — 12 000 haCalabria — 9 000 haMosel — 8 800 haDalmatia — 8 000 haJerez — 7 000 haCyprus — 7 000 haAttica — 6 500 haFranken — 6 100 haCorsica — 6 000 haTokaj — 5 800 haAlto Adige — 5 600 haValais — 4 800 haNorthern Rhône — 4 400 haRías Baixas — 4 300 haNahe — 4 200 haSussex & Kent — 4 000 haRheingau — 3 200 haBierzo — 3 000 haNemea — 3 000 haJura — 2 000 haPriorat — 2 000 haWachau — 1 350 haValdeorras — 1 300 haSantorini — 1 100 haNaoussa — 700 haMadeira — 450 haColares — 20 haSavoieLanguedocBordeauxSicilyVenetoPugliaSouthern RhôneRiojaTuscanyLoire ValleyEmilia-RomagnaKakhetiSouth-West FrancePiedmontDouroChampagneAbruzzoUtiel-RequenaBurgundyProvenceSardiniaFriuliRibera del DueroPenedèsPfalzCampaniaAlentejoMinhoRuedaDãoMarcheAlsaceBeaujolaisBurgenlandUmbriaCalabriaMoselDalmatiaJerezCyprusAtticaFrankenCorsicaTokajAlto AdigeValaisNorthern RhôneRías BaixasNaheSussex & KentRheingauBierzoNemeaJuraPrioratWachauValdeorrasSantoriniNaoussaMadeiraColares
Blob size ≈ vineyard area · approximate locations · coastlines from Natural Earth

A vineyard scattered through the Alps, clinging to lake shores and to the debris of catastrophe: the slopes of Apremont and Abymes grow on the rubble left when Mont Granier collapsed in 1248, one of the great landslides of medieval Europe. Vines here are ancient — writers of Columella's era already noted them — yet Savoie long remained a wine the mountains kept for themselves.

For most of the twentieth century it was poured by the carafe to skiers and rarely travelled further than the valley floor. The recent renaissance has changed the terms: old-vine mondeuse from steep sites and altesse from the best slopes are now treated as serious mountain wines, and a young generation is reclaiming the scattered crus one terrace at a time.

The vineyard

Indicative share of plantings

The wines

Apremont Dry white Savoie Mondeuse Red wine

Through time

Indicative presence index, 0–100Origins & Antiquity — 5The Monastic Middle Ages — 25Exploration & the Fortified Age — 20Classifications & the Golden Age — 20Phylloxera & the World Crises — 20The Modern & New World Era — 40Antiquity5500150017001875195040
Origins & Antiquity Antiquity The Monastic Middle Ages 500 Exploration & the Fortified Age 1500 Classifications & the Golden Age 1700 Phylloxera & the World Crises 1875 The Modern & New World Era 1950