Abymes is one of 16 named crus that fall under the Vin de Savoie appellation in eastern France. The vineyards of Abymes cover a small area of land just south of the city of Chambery, in a narrow alpine valley that encompasses land in the administrative departments of both Savoie and Isere. Vin de Savoie Abymes wines are typically light and dry with herbaceous characters, and are produced mainly from the Jacquere grape variety.
The village of Abymes has only a small population, with houses scattered around the patchwork of local vineyards. Between the fertile plains around the Isere river and the vertiginous ridges of the Massif de la Chartreuse is a complex, tightly undulating topography – the result of glacial activity and the catastrophic collapse of a nearby hillside in 1248. In fact, this landslide, which is estimated to have killed thousands of people, has given rise to some of the region's place names, with abymes translating roughly as 'ruin' or 'abyss' in French. This is also true of neighboring Apremont, the name of which translates as 'bitter mountain'.
Over the years the terrain caused by this landslide has been slowly covered with vineyards, which are built around the large, broken boulders that litter the landscape. Careful site selection is undertaken to counter the effects of the cool continental climate, and today almost every sunny south, south-east and east-facing slope is covered in vines. The slope of the vineyards, combined with the loose limestone marl soils, offers good drainage for the vines. This is particularly important as it helps to curb vigor and yield in the relatively rainy landscapes in the western foothills of the Alps.
The local white-wine variety of Jacqueres is required to make up at least 80% of any Savoie Abymes wine. Grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Altesse and Aligote may be used as secondary grapes, and, where the vineyards fall within the Isere department, Marsanne and Verdesse may be used.
Savoie Abymes is one of the few Vin de Savoie crus whose wines are found in any quantity outside of the region, perhaps due to their fresh, bracing typicity as an alpine wine. However, as Savoie has a thriving tourism economy centering on its alpine landscape, many Savoie wines are consumed within the region. As such, they are not as well known or easily found as their white equivalents from Alsace or the Loire Valley.
