Just south of medieval Chambéry in Savoie, in eastern France, Apremont takes its name from either the Latin asper montis (‘rough mountain’) or the French après mont (‘after the mountain’).
That mountain is Mont Granier, whose imposing limestone wall dominates the Combe de Savoie, a 40km valley that runs southwest to northeast across the centre of the Savoie region.
Granier’s story is one of catastrophe and renewal, and the alpine wines from its slopes express its layered history.
On the night of 24 November 1248, a massive section of Mont Granier’s limestone cliff face collapsed – one of Europe’s largest recorded landslides. Five villages were buried beneath millions of tonnes of rock, with one account from a travelling monk claiming 5,000 perished.
For centuries, the landscape remained a mostly barren pile of rubble. Eventually, Savoyard farmers found that grapes – especially the native white Jacquère – were the only crop that would take root in the stony soil.
Today, Apremont’s vineyards grow atop the remnants of the mountain and the villages buried beneath.
Jacquère, Savoie’s little-known white workhorse, is grown across the region but is the signature grape of Apremont, where it produces pale, crystalline whites with delicate floral notes, a whisper of gunflint minerality and bright citrus and lychee – all carried by an airy, saline freshness.
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If you love Muscadet’s oyster-shell minerality or crisp Chablis, Apremont offers something similar but distinctly alpine.
The better expressions taste like melted snow scraped from a mountain crag, with a squeeze of lemon and a scattering of white flowers.
Pale green, they’re light but not watery, with a mineral texture and a clean, salivating finish. Like most Savoie wines, they naturally hover around 11% alcohol.
‘The better expressions taste like melted snow scraped from a mountain crag’
Time travel
I first fell for Apremont on a summer trip to lake Annecy, a jewel of the French Alps.
After days hiking above and swimming in the turquoise waters (it’s the cleanest lake in Europe), we enjoyed the local whites with Savoie’s signature cheeses: Reblochon, Beaufort and Tomme de Savoie.
I soon developed an affinity for Apremont’s minerally whites, which are very affordable, unpretentious and speak clearly of time and place.
The affinity grew when I returned to visit the hillside vineyards and villages, which feel like stepping back into both old France and geological time. Apremont is Savoie’s largest sub-regional designation, yet it remains little known beyond the region – or even within France.
But that’s changing as wine lovers seek lighter styles and indigenous varieties, with Savoie being touted as ‘the next Jura’.
These wines pair brilliantly with the region’s famous alpine dishes – fondue, raclette, lake fish – but they’re equally at home with oysters and grilled seafood, or simply as an aperitif.
The story of Apremont reminds us that beauty and renewal can emerge from disaster. It also reminds us how fragile everything is – how a mountain can fall, how quickly life can change.
Where catastrophe once struck, vines now thrive, producing some of France’s most delicate and distinctive whites.
Born on a fallen mountain, these are wines shaped by stone and best enjoyed with a feeling of gratitude.
In my glass: Apremont, Savoie
(Image credit: Domaine Giachino)
Wines from lesser-known parts of France such as this corner of Savoie are often hard to track down in the UK or US.
As if anyone would need an excuse to visit a region of such spectacular natural beauty, it may be your best bet if you’d like to discover its wines.
To taste Apremont in its purest form, seek out Domaine Giachino’s Apremont Jacquère bottling – the 2023 is bright, stony and delicately fresh, showing alpine wild flowers, cold spring water with a citrus snap, hints of almond and a clean, flinty edge.
Depending on the vintage, it can be found on sale in France at about €15-€24.
Domaine Dupraz, Phoenix is another Jacquère of heightened presence.
In the 2023 vintage, the use of concrete eggs lends buoyancy and traction – more snow melt rather than mountain spring – and in the glass it reveals jasmine tea, pineapple, a hint of brioche and a slow, saline finish.
