Marestel is one of four named crus of the Roussette de Savoie appellation that covers the mountainous land south of Lake Geneva in eastern France. The steep, pebbly terroir of the vineyard is well suited to the Altesse grape variety (here known as Roussette) and is thought to be the original site of this variety in Savoie. Roussette de Savoie Marestel white wines, while fresh and minerally, often exhibit smoky, floral characters with hints of almond.
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The Marestel vineyard, named for a 16th-Century landowner, climbs up the western slopes of the Mont du Chat mountain above the village of Jongieux on the western edge of Savoie. The permitted vineyard land of the cru overlaps with the separate Vin de Savoie Jongieux cru, which covers the area's leaner white wines made predominantly from Jacquere, and red wines made from Mondeuse, Gamay and Pinot Noir.
The vineyard's southwesterly aspect gives good sun exposure, making ripening more efficient in Savoie's cool continental climate. In fact, the area surrounding Jongieux is one of the sunniest parts of Savoie, due to the elevation and the wide river valley of the Rhone which ensures the vines see extended afternoon sun. A tall mountain ridge to the west that runs parallel to the Mont du Chat helps to block prevailing westerly weather systems. The mesoclimate of Marestel is further moderated by heat-storing presence of Lake Bourget, just over the Mont du Chat to the east.
Ripening in the Marestel vineyards is further aided by the rocky limestone soils which store daytime heat, reflecting it back onto the vines in the evening. These soils, comparable to the famous chalky soils of Chablis, combine with the steep slopes of the vineyards to offer a dry, well-drained site for the vines. A lack of water in Marestel's soils prevents the vines from becoming too vigorous, instead producing small yields of high-quality berries.
The Roussette de Savoie AOC was introduced in 1973 at the same time as the Vin de Savoie appellation, and four individual vineyard sites were singled out as being particularly well-suited to the production of Altesse: Marestel, Monterminod, Frangy and Monthoux. Wines from Marestel and the other three crus are made under more stringent production conditions than basic Roussette de Savoie wines – specifically, lower maximum yield and higher minimum-alcohol levels in the finished wines.
