Altesse

The grape that named its own appellation

Altesse holds a singular place in French ampelography: it is one of the rare varieties to have given its own nickname to the appellation that carries it. In Savoie it is commonly called "roussette", after the russet tint its berries take on at full ripeness — and it is precisely that everyday name that eventually became the name of the Roussette de Savoie AOC, where altesse is the sole authorised variety. VIVC confirms this vernacular name by listing it among the variety's official synonyms, alongside "Roussette de Seyssel" and "Roussette de Montagnieu" — both direct nods to the terroirs where it performs best.

A variety attested since the 14th century, once reserved for princes

Altesse's presence in Savoie is documented since the 14th century, first on the terraced hillsides of Jongieux and Lucey, where, per local tradition as recorded by INAO, the wine it gave was reserved for princely tables. The name of the appellation's most celebrated cru, Marestel, tells part of that story on its own: the site takes its name from the 1563 ennoblement of Claude Mareste, a councillor to Duke Emmanuel Philibert of Savoy — a family name that became a vineyard name, and one VIVC still lists today among altesse's own official synonyms.

A delicate, demanding, yet generous variety

Unlike the robustness of jacquère, which shares many Savoie plots with it, altesse is a delicate variety: Pl@ntGrape calls it highly susceptible to downy mildew, powdery mildew, excoriosis and bud mite, and highly vulnerable to grey rot. It needs well-exposed sites, on clay-limestone, stony scree, short-pruned in gobelet or trained on wires. That demanding nature has a payoff: when conditions suit it, altesse gives one of the most qualitative whites in the whole alpine vineyard — generous, full-bodied, aromatically rich, at once elegant and delicate, and above all capable of an ageing few Savoie varieties can claim.

Four crus, four expressions

The Roussette de Savoie appellation distinguishes four specific geographic denominations, each with its own aromatic signature per INAO: floral notes dominate at Frangy, Monterminod and Monthoux, while at Marestel, on soils and an exposure that push the grape toward riper maturity, the wines gain in palate breadth. It is the same variety, sole and exclusive in all four cases, but four different readings of a single alpine terroir — proof, if any were needed, that altesse deserves better than the obscurity it is kept in outside its home region.