Grape Guide
Altesse
WhiteAltesse is the finest white grape of Savoie, the Alpine corner of eastern France, where it gives dry, high-acid wines that smell of violet, almond and honey. It is the only variety allowed in Roussette de Savoie and Roussette du Bugey, and it is the base of the still wines of Seyssel.
Key characteristics
- Late-ripening white variety whose berries turn russet at full maturity
- Sensitive to downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis
- Trained mainly as bush vine, single cordon or Guyot on steep slopes
- Genetically close to Chasselas, so a long-standing local Savoie vine
- Small plantings, a few hundred hectares, almost all in eastern France
Typical flavors
Major regions
Roussette de Savoie AOC (Savoie) · Seyssel AOC (Ain and Haute-Savoie) · Roussette du Bugey AOC (Ain) · Vin de Savoie AOC (blends) · Frangy and Marestel crus · Montagnieu and Virieu-le-Grand (Bugey)
Also known as
Roussette (Savoie) · Roussette Haute (Seyssel) · Roussette de Seyssel · Roussette de Montagnieu (Ain) · Marestel (Bourget) · Plant d'Altesse · Prin Blanc · Anet (Isère) · Fusette d'Ambérieu
Altesse is a white grape grown almost entirely on the steep, well-exposed slopes of Savoie and the neighbouring Bugey, in eastern France. Its wines are dry, firm in acidity and gently aromatic, with violet, white blossom, almond, honey and a faint mountain-herb note. With five to ten years in bottle they take on a waxy, nutty depth, with hazelnut and bergamot. Varietal bottlings are sold as Roussette de Savoie, Roussette du Bugey or Seyssel.
The vine ripens late and its berries colour to a russet shade as the season closes, which explains the local name Roussette. Plantings are small, in the low hundreds of hectares, so output is limited and the grape rarely appears outside its home region. The wines suit river fish, alpine cheeses such as Beaufort and Reblochon, and cured meats, since acidity and a slightly oily texture handle fat and salt well.
The oldest written reference is from 1774, when the Marquis Costa de Beauregard praised an excellent vine reputed to have arrived from Cyprus, brought to Savoie by a prince of the region. By local tradition the name comes from the honorific borne by the Dukes of Savoie (altesse means highness). Several legends compete over the details: one credits Louis of Savoie and his wife Charlotte de Lusignan in the fifteenth century, another a return from Byzantium in 1367 under Amédée VI, and a third a planting at Jongieux in 1530 by Claude de Mareste, on the site later renamed Marestel. None of these stories is documented.
A different explanation, advanced in 1901, traces the name to the Altesses, a local word for the terraces where the vine grew near Lac du Bourget. An identity with Hungarian Furmint was once proposed, but DNA profiling shows the two are unrelated. The same profiling places Altesse close to Chasselas, a variety that originated around Lake Geneva, which suggests an old Alpine variety native to Savoie rather than an import from the East. Roussette d'Ayze, a minor Savoie white, is thought to be a natural cross of Altesse and Gouais Blanc, although that result rests on a limited set of markers.
Altesse ripens mid to late season, and in Savoie's cool climate it needs a warm, sheltered aspect to reach full maturity. The berries take on a reddish or russet tinge when fully ripe. The vine is delicate, with real susceptibility to downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis bunch rot, so exposure, airflow and canopy management matter. Training is usually bush vine, single cordon or Guyot; the Seyssel specification sets a minimum density of 6,000 vines per hectare. The best sites are south and southeast facing, well-drained calcareous slopes and alluvial fans along the edges of the Bauges and Borne massifs. Official statistics recorded 357 hectares in eastern France in 2008, found chiefly in Savoie, with smaller plantings in Isère, Ain and Haute-Savoie. It is also authorized in the Var and Vaucluse.
The dominant style is a dry, still white with bright acidity, medium body and an almost waxy texture. Young examples show white flowers, violet, citrus peel and almond; with age they move toward honey, hazelnut, beeswax and bergamot. Oak is rarely a defining feature, and most producers favour stainless steel or large old wood to keep the aromatics clear. Roussette de Savoie must now be 100% Altesse, whereas in the past the basic wine could be blended with up to half Chardonnay. At Seyssel the still wine is Altesse, while the sparkling version is a bottle-fermented blend of Altesse and Molette, with Chasselas optional. Outside the Roussette names, Altesse often supplies aromatic lift in Vin de Savoie blends with Jacquère, Aligoté, Gringet or Chardonnay.
Where it grows
Roussette de Savoie
The appellation is built on Altesse alone, and four crus may appear on the label: Frangy, Marestel, Monterminod and Monthoux. Marestel, around Jongieux, is the best-known, and cru wines face tighter yield and alcohol rules than the base appellation.
Seyssel
The vineyards lie on both banks of the Rhône in Seyssel (Ain and Haute-Savoie) and Corbonod. The still wine is Altesse, with a separate Molette still version, while the sparkling wine blends Altesse, Molette and optionally Chasselas.
Roussette du Bugey
The wine has been 100% Altesse since the appellation was elevated to AOC in 2009. Two village names may follow it, Montagnieu and Virieu-le-Grand; Montagnieu is described officially as mineral and fresh, and Virieu-le-Grand as fruitier.
Vin de Savoie
Altesse is one component in the wider regional appellation, where it is blended with Jacquère, Aligoté, Gringet or Chardonnay. Named crus such as Abymes, Apremont, Ayze and Crépy sit within this larger area.
Switzerland and elsewhere
A rare varietal example is made in Switzerland by Henri Cruchon. In France the vine is also authorized in the Var and Vaucluse, but those plantings are marginal.