Seyssel is the only single-Village appellation in Savoie, located 32 km South of Geneva on the western edge of the French Alps. Wine has been produced in Seyssel since the 11th century and over the years the area has built up a reputation for high quality, helped by the tourists who have always flocked to the region. Although still white wines are allowed by appellation law, the region is best known for its Rich, Floral">floralSparkling wines, mainly from the Altesse and Chasselas grapes. The village of Seyssel is located on Part of the Haut-Rhône, as it forms the westernmost border of Savoie before heading south to the famous hillsides of the Rhone Valley wine region.
Curiously, Seyssel is actually split between two administrative departments: the Ain (home to the Bugey appellation) on the west bank of the Rhône, and Savoie on the east bank. This split has created an unusual situation where the two halves are recognized as independent communes, both called Seyssel. The small village of Corbonod (on the Savoy side) is also covered by the Seyssel appellation. The vineyards of Seyssel are located on the slopes of the mountains and ridges surrounding the river.
How’s the weather been this year? Awful. ‘La nature m’écoeure’, one of my wine-growing friends posted on Facebook on 8 April, having been out to look at the frost-crippled shoots on his vines that morning: ‘Nature disgusts me’. It takes a lot to make a wine-grower feel that. He wasn’t alone. Jeremiads echo around the northern hemisphere as 2021 closes. It’s been the year of all the miseries. None suffered more horribly than the growers of Germany’s Ahr valley, where floodwaters caused by the fou ...
A couple of weeks ago, I was looking up at some terraced vineyards in St-Joseph with an Australian friend. He remarked that he’d never seen a steep vineyard like this in his home country. Who could afford to rip out the trees, build the access roads, construct the terraces, and plant the vines, without being certain beforehand that the resulting wine could be sold at prices high enough to recoup the investment? It might not be the most romantic way of looking at it. But that’s the modern reality ...
In his Rhône 2020 vintage report Matt Walls found fresh, vibrant and deliciously drinkable wines across the Northern and Southern appellations, with many wines being approachable now. Given that many wines won’t last as long as previous vintages such as 2016, 2017 and 2019, this could make the 2020s great value picks for immediate drinking. Scroll down to see Matt’s best-value Rhône 2020 tasting notes and scores Walls noted that this is the freshest vintage for whites since 2014, so lovers ...
