Savoie: Your New Favorite French Wine Region
And another lovely winter white!
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I’ve said it before, and I will say it again…sometimes the best wine memories are born of happenstance. Such was the case last weekend when previous plans for a steak and a bottle of red were dashed, and I found myself solo on a Saturday but feeling like treating myself to a meaningful wine and meal (but something easy!).
While I am just as enamored with the much touted “girl dinner” of cheese and accoutrements as the next girl, one of my go-to solo dinners has to be a simple pot of dal over basmati rice. If you are unfamiliar with dal, this broad term covers many varieties of Indian dishes made from dried legumes. I especially love Masoor and Mung Dals that can be ready in an hour easily! Check out Priya Krishna’s recipe for Masoor Dal by clicking here. (And btw, Priya’s cookbook Indian(-ish) is OUTSTANDING! And if you have time try out her Saag Paneer.)
Back to the wine side of things…now that I had plans for a satisfying, gently spiced bowl of dal and an actual crackling fire, I needed a wine! But honestly the decision was not difficult at all as I had just revisited a favorite French white from the Alpine region of Savoie in an industry tasting and knew I had a bottle of this Tissot Altesse tucked away on my own wine rack. The prospect of spending some alone time with this wine really contemplating its attributes gladdened my wine nerd heart!
I promise you are not alone if you are scratching your head at the mention of the French wine region of Savoie (aka Savoy). It’s only in the past five years that I have heard any reverence given to this little Alpine region that’s basically east of Burgundy and west of Switzerland/Italy. (It is also just south of Jura, another great Alpine region.)
Even in esteemed wine tomes they mostly mention Savoie wines as appropriate for the apres-ski crowd and nothing more. Thankfully, times change, and we appear to be in the midst of a Savoie wine renaissance – or at least the good stuff is finally reaching our shores!
Most of the sites are at high elevations, but ripening is not an issue due to southern facing vineyards. There are only 5,000 acres under vine, and 70% of the wine is white. The most widely planted variety is Jacquere (accounting for 50% of all plantings). With these numbers you can imagine that there’s definitely some Jacquere that’s better than others! (A great one to look out for is Maison des Ardoisieres Silice.)
But back to our wine – Tissot Altesse. The grape Altesse (aka Roussette) is thought to be a native grape of France, and Savoie is certainly where you will find the most plantings. However, truly, there are not many plantings at all! Thankfully Thierry and Celine Tissot have devoted their lives to revitalizing the Tissot family’s neglected vineyards and making wine from the native Altesse alongside some Chardonnay, Jacquere, Aligote, Mondeuse, and Gamay.
Thierry and Celine are the fifth generation to work the family vines but until Thierry took over in 2000, wine was just one aspect of their farm life. Thierry wanted to focus entirely on wine and to revitalize a vineyard that had been abandoned at the beginning of World War I (so abandoned since 1914!). He began work on the vineyard while Celine finished her studies in agriculture and oenology with a special focus on insect diversity.
The vineyard that Thierry devoted himself to is known as Mataret, and it was always considered the best site around their village, Vaux-en-Bugey. Its limestone bedrock and steep southwest facing slopes endeared it to the locals, but these very aspects also made it incredibly difficult to rehabilitate. They cleared the years and years of brush and chestnut trees by hand! They replanted the site with Altesse and Mondeuse.
Thanks to the age of the site and its abandonment, the vineyard had never been treated with pesticides. Today, they have their organic certification and also use biodynamic farming practices as well. You should definitely check out Celine’s facebook page for great nature pics!
But back to the actual wine in the glass…since I was sipping alone I really had the time to sit and contemplate and experience the wine unfurling itself. Some notes I took in the moment: a pale gold in color like goldenrod in the golden hour on tidal creek banks, aromas/flavors of yellow apple, canned peaches, but also tropical things like pineapple and lemongrass, and definite earth elements – river rock and fresh hay…
As you can see there’s a lot going on! And I cannot encourage you enough to take some extra time to really contemplate your next glass of wine. One of the things I hear the most from folks who take my classes is that they actually start drinking less after beginning their wine journey as they begin to slow down and appreciate all the many aspects of the wine. Of course, I know this is a challenge (I have many friends with small children!). But it’s a nice little thought to tuck away for even later use. (And I do plan to write an entire newsletter devoted to this idea soon.)
But once again back to the wine…it was clearly mesmerizing to me. And truly a beautiful pairing with that gently spiced dal. Other great pairings would be: roasted chicken, shrimp and grits, Pad Thai, or fondu!
I also encourage you to seek out other wines from the Savoie region like the aforementioned Jacquere from Maison des Ardoisieres, also Un P’Tit Coin de Paradis (Chasselas – another intriguing white), and Quenard Gamay (a fresh but earthy red). Also if you can find the Tissot wines in your area be sure to ask for their sparkling wines! Both the still and sparkling Tissot wines retail around $30 (possibly more for the red, which I have not had).
Of course, I know the search for an esoteric French wine might be difficult if you live in a wine desert, but there seem to several online sources for the Tissot wines (just don’t be confused by the Tissot wines from the Jura region – another great domaine we will surely visit later). If you live in Charleston, I happen to know there’s at least one bottle of the Altesse to be found at Wine & Company, and I am sure they would be willing to order more.
Cheers to more sipping and learning (and hopefully more Savoie wines in your life)!
P.S. Big thanks to De Maison Selections for importing the Tissot wines and for allowing me to share these photos and the map! Check out the Tissot page on their website by clicking here for links to even more great photos!