Last week, I participated in a Savoie wine tasting. They’re not easy to find, but they’re worth seeking out.
Wines of Savoie
The Savoie wine region straddles the border with Switzerland along the Alps and Lake Geneva. Their vineyards are planted in pre-alpine areas at 250-600m above sea level. They produce mostly white wines (70%), some reds (20%) with a bit of rose (6%) and sparkling (4%), called Cremant de Savoie.
The most distinct whites from the region are Altesse (also known as Roussette) and Jacquere. There’s also Chardonnay, Bergeron (Roussanne in the Rhone Valley), Mondeuse Blanche, and Chasselas, which is more famous in Switzerland. The most common red is Mondeuse Noire, which is related to Syrah and often reminds me of a lighter-bodied Syrah with similar color, fruit profile and spicy touches. There’s also Gamay, Pinot Noir, Poulsard (more famous in the nearby Jura region), and now a red coming back from near extinction called Persan. 
Historically, wine from Savoie was considered low-quality peasant wine. Given the cooler climate, it’s easy to assume the wines lack the sunlight to gain enough ripeness. By the time Savoie became a part of France in 1860, the wines were starting to improve with increased investment and better techniques. However, that also means that it has had to compete with more famous wine regions like Burgundy and the Rhone. Therefore, only about 5% of their wines are exported.
Tartiflette
Even though I used to live in Geneva, I would still have to cross the border to access wines from Savoie. That’s because the style and most of the main varieties of Savoie can also be found in Swiss wines, who export even less than Savoie. Likewise, the wines of Savoie go perfectly with Swiss/French alpine dishes like fondue, raclette, and tartiflette* along with dishes from the many lakes in the region like filet de perche. The French are most likely to grab a bottle from Savoie with such dishes, especially during their annual ski trip, but obviously other regions dominate the market for most other occasions.
That’s why I decided to attend this tasting: to take me back to my time living along the Alps and to get to know their wines better having not experienced them enough during my time in France and Switzerland. Plus, this tasting featured two of the better producers from Savoie. Most of the Savoie wines I’ve had were during ski trips in the French Alps or eating at a restaurant on the French side of Lake Geneva; They weren’t necessarily the top or most expensive versions although the wines of Savoie overall are really cheap compared to other French regions.
* You can read my recommendations on pairing wine with melted cheese dishes.
Tasting Notes
We tasted 9 wines. Unfortunately, there was no Altesse, and all the white wines were Jacquere based. On the other hand, we got to taste one of the rarest red varieties in the world, Persan, along with Mondeuse based reds.
1 NV André & Michel Quenard Extra Brut Crémant de Savoie – Traditional method like all Cremant sparklings. This is all Jacquère, which makes up 40% of the vines in Savoie. Some bready notes on the nose. Light and fresh palate with good acidity. Sour green apple with a touch of spice and minerality which lingers. Moderately persistent bubbles. 90
2 2021 Domaine des Ardoisières Argile Blanc IGP Vin des Allobroges – Blend of Jacquere, Chardonnay and Mondeuse Blanche. Shy nose but on the savory side. Fresh, fruity, medium-light body. More minerality with time. Rounder than #3. Opens up some more and is similar to #3 with just a bit more body and texture. 90
3 2021 Maison des Ardoisières Silice Blanc Vin de France – Jacquere. Even more savory minerality on the nose and palate. A bit more acidity than #2. Lighter body than #2. 2 is better texturely but 3 is more expressive, fresh and minerally. 91
4 2022 André & Michel Quenard Les Abymes Savoie Les Abymes – Jacquère. The least expressive of the whites so far. A little less acidity, more subtle and light. A touch creamy, more than #3. Maybe some lees time. Some minerality. Just less intense. 88
5 2020 André & Michel Quenard Savoie Mondeuse Chignin – Mondeuse Noire – shy on the nose. Dark fruit on the palate but with good acidity and some savory herbal notes. 90
6 2020 Domaine des Ardoisières Argile Rouge IGP Vin des Allobroges – Blend of Gamay, Mondeuse Noire and Persan. Shy but meaty, savory nose. Some floral notes too. Rounder than #5 but still fresh and acidic. 90
7 2022 André & Michel Quenard Vieilles Vignes Savoie Chignin – Mondeuse. More tannic and less acidic than 5 and 6. More concentration, ripeness. Dark fruit. Chalky tannins. More body. Prefer the first 2 reds with melted cheese dishes because of their acidity, but this is more potent. 91
8 2022 André & Michel Quenard Savoie Chignin Persan – Persan is a rare grape that was thought to be extinct at some point. In 2000, there were only 3 hectares reportedly left in France. It can really only be found and made as a varietal wine along the French Alps in Savoie and Isere although there may be a few random unidentified old vines left around the world in field blends. For example, I’ve had a Bedrock Old Hill Ranch Sonoma with bits of Persan in it. It used to be considered a high-quality grape and some Savoie producers are trying to bring it back.
Dark, opaque color. Some violet and slightly vegetal notes on the nose but not super aromatic. Some floral notes. It shines more on the palate. The palate is medium bodied, elegant with good acid and spice on the back end. Intense dark and red berry fruit. Soft tannins. Some chalky minerality. Unique and obviously stood out among all the Mondeuse. 92
9 2018 André & Michel Quenard Vieilles Vignes Savoie Chignin – 70+ year old Jacquère vines. Has some tertiary notes on the palate (oxidative notes). The palate is the roundest and thickest of the whites with the sweetest fruit. Lowest acid but still fresh. Most elegant and suave of the whites. More concentration. All the Vielles Vignes tonight are a step up in ripeness, roundness and concentration but with slightly less acidity. 91
Conclusion
Overall, Jacquere is better than I remember it being. It’s always been a fresh, light and clean wine, but lacking character to me. Most of these showed more minerality and fruit. Perhaps it’s the producers and their terroir/exposure. Perhaps global warming is giving it more intensity. Perhaps it’s because I like white wines a lot more than I did 6 years ago. Either way, it’s perfect for any melted cheese dishes and fresh water white fish dishes.
I’ve always liked Mondeuse Noire to go along with Alpine melted cheese dishes as well, but it has the acidity and lightness to go with many dishes. It’s excellent for those who like darker fruit flavors without the heaviness that many Malbec, Syrah and Cabernet can have.
Finally, the Persan was interesting. There’s more red fruit flavors mixed in there than Mondeuse, and there’s more complexity and body overall. The main issue is that it’s not considered the easiest to grow since it’s susceptible to frost and mildew. However, this could be the next big thing from Savoie and go beyond just being for Alpine dishes.