Roussette de Savoie () is an ''

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

'' (AOC) for white

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

in the

Savoy wine Savoy () is a wine region situated in the Savoy region in eastern France, and is sometimes referred to as the country of the Allobroges. It is the only alpine wine region in France, and is known for grape varieties rarely grown elsewhere, includin ...

region of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The AOC covers much of the Western part of the Savoie AOC for wines made at least in part from the regional

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

variety known as

Altesse Altesse () or Roussette () is a white French wine grape variety found primarily in the Savoy wine region of France. It yields small harvests and ripens late but is resistant to grey rot. Wines made from Altesse have exotic aromas, often togeth ...

, also called Roussette. Roussette de Savoie is the second-largest appellation in

Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population o ...

and is responsible (as of 2012) for approximately 10% of the region's production. The late-ripening grape Altesse is the only permitted variety in the appellation. Formerly, wines that were designated merely as Roussette de Savoie AOC (rather than with some specific Cru) were blended with up to 50%

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

, although blending with Chardonnay is no longer permitted. Roussette de Savoie's high acidity give it the potential to age. These dry white wines typically have a nose of violet and mountain herbs with flavors of minerals, bergamot, honey and hazelnut.

Cru Vineyards

There are four cru vineyards within the Roussette de Savoie AOC that may attach their names to the appellation: Frangy, Marestel, Monterminod and Monthoux. The best vineyards within the AOC are situated on Quaternary alluvial fans along the edges of the Massifs of Bauges and Borne.Fanet, Jacques ''Great Wine Terroirs'' University of California Press, Berkeley (2004) p. 197 The cru vineyards are characterized by steep slopes, which offer excellent drainage and maximize exposure to sunlight in the cool, alpine climate. Wines with one of these four cru designations are made to more stringent production standards (with regard to yields and minimum alcohol) than basic Roussette de Savoie wines.

References

{{reflist Savoie wine AOCs