André & Michel Quenard
Savoie is a picture of fairy-tale perfection: snow-capped peaks, green rolling hills, wildflowers, and cold, sparkling mountain streams. This idyllic region hugs the western Alps, where Michel Quenard and his family farm twenty-two hectares of vineyards along the steep, rocky slopes of the Coteau de Torméry around Chignin. The limestone scree that makes up this vineyard land, resulting from millions of years of erosion of the majestic peaks of the Massif des Bauges, lends great character to the wines produced here.
Michel’s grandfather started the domaine in the 1930s. Though he slowly increased the vineyard holdings, he also sold off most of his wine in bulk. It was not until 1960 that Michel’s father, André, began bottling under their own label. Armed with a degree in viticulture and enology from Beaune, Michel joined the domaine in 1976, expanding vineyard holdings and making improvements to the cellar. Today, he is joined by his son Guillaume. While they are far from the only Quenards in Chignin, they are certainly the most well-known—perhaps this is due to the severity of their terrain and the quality of wines it produces. Andrew Jefford writes in his contemporary classic, The New France, “Michel Quenard and his father André are masters of the Bergeron grape, known in the Rhône Valley and elsewhere as Roussanne. They argue it should be limited to the best and steepest local sites where it can ripen fully, like the Coteau de Torméry, giving wines of real texture and perfume as it does so” (p 122). We think it is one of the most unique and beautiful renditions of Roussanne in the world.
Despite the domaine’s proximity to the Alps, the vineyards enjoy a surprisingly warm microclimate with southern sun exposure. Fig and olive trees are also found among the vines, unusual for such a snowy region. There are twenty-one crus in the Savoie appellation, encompassing more than twenty permitted cépages—including several endemic varieties exclusive to Savoie. The Quenards’ vineyards are planted to some of the region’s best known, with a focus on Bergeron, Jacquère, Mondeuse, and Altesse. Michel and Guillaume bottle multiple cuvées, highlighting the region’s diversity of grape varieties and the different terroirs they farm. The stoniness of their vineyards expresses an alpine freshness and lively minerality in their wines. Their cuvées go beyond the simple “eclectic” that categorizes wines from the region; whether they are quaffed or savored, they are all unique revelations that reflect the complexity of their terroir and the fine artistry of these master vignerons.

Savoie is a picture of fairy-tale perfection: snow-capped peaks, green rolling hills, wildflowers, and cold, sparkling mountain streams. This idyllic region hugs the western Alps, where Michel Quenard and his family farm twenty-two hectares of vineyards along the steep, rocky slopes of the Coteau de Torméry around Chignin. The limestone scree that makes up this vineyard land, resulting from millions of years of erosion of the majestic peaks of the Massif des Bauges, lends great character to the wines produced here.
Michel’s grandfather started the domaine in the 1930s. Though he slowly increased the vineyard holdings, he also sold off most of his wine in bulk. It was not until 1960 that Michel’s father, André, began bottling under their own label. Armed with a degree in viticulture and enology from Beaune, Michel joined the domaine in 1976, expanding vineyard holdings and making improvements to the cellar. Today, he is joined by his son Guillaume. While they are far from the only Quenards in Chignin, they are certainly the most well-known—perhaps this is due to the severity of their terrain and the quality of wines it produces. Andrew Jefford writes in his contemporary classic, The New France, “Michel Quenard and his father André are masters of the Bergeron grape, known in the Rhône Valley and elsewhere as Roussanne. They argue it should be limited to the best and steepest local sites where it can ripen fully, like the Coteau de Torméry, giving wines of real texture and perfume as it does so” (p 122). We think it is one of the most unique and beautiful renditions of Roussanne in the world.
Despite the domaine’s proximity to the Alps, the vineyards enjoy a surprisingly warm microclimate with southern sun exposure. Fig and olive trees are also found among the vines, unusual for such a snowy region. There are twenty-one crus in the Savoie appellation, encompassing more than twenty permitted cépages—including several endemic varieties exclusive to Savoie. The Quenards’ vineyards are planted to some of the region’s best known, with a focus on Bergeron, Jacquère, Mondeuse, and Altesse. Michel and Guillaume bottle multiple cuvées, highlighting the region’s diversity of grape varieties and the different terroirs they farm. The stoniness of their vineyards expresses an alpine freshness and lively minerality in their wines. Their cuvées go beyond the simple “eclectic” that categorizes wines from the region; whether they are quaffed or savored, they are all unique revelations that reflect the complexity of their terroir and the fine artistry of these master vignerons.
Technical Information
Wine | Blend | Vine Age | Soil Type | Vineyard Area* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Crémant de Savoie Extra Brut |
Jacquère | 50 years | Marl, Limestone scree | 1.14 ha |
Savoie Chignin Gamay |
Gamay | 30 years | Limestone scree | 2.5 ha |
Savoie Les Abymes |
Jacquère | 50 years | Marl, Limestone scree | 1.14 ha |
Savoie Chignin |
Jacquère | 30 to 60 years | Limestone scree | 4 ha |
Savoie Chignin “Vieilles Vignes” |
Jacquère | 70 + years | Limestone scree | 4 ha |
Roussette de Savoie “Altesse” |
Altesse | 30 years | Marl, Limestone scree | .3 ha |
Savoie Chignin-Bergeron “Les Roches Blanches” |
Bergeron | 20 to 80 years | Limestone scree | 5 ha |
Savoie Chignin-Bergeron “Les Terrasses” |
Bergeron | 25 years | Terraced steep limestone scree slopes | 3 ha |
Savoie Chignin-Bergeron “Côteau des Ducs” |
Bergeron | 50 years | Terraced steep limestone scree slopes | 1.2 ha |
Savoie Chignin Bergeron “Le Grand Rebossan” |
Bergeron | 40 years | Steep limestone scree slopes | 5 ha |
Savoie Chignin Pinot Noir |
Pinot Noir | 20 to 25 years | Clay, Limestone | .65 ha |
Savoie Arbin Mondeuse “Terres Brunes” |
Mondeuse | 40 to 50 years | Clay, Limestone | 1 ha |
Savoie Chignin Mondeuse “Vieilles Vignes” |
Mondeuse | 70 years | Clay, Limestone | 2.8 ha |
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres |
VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION
• Fermentations occur spontaneously with indigenous yeasts
Crémant de Savoie Extra Brut:
• Méthode Traditionnelle is very similar to Méthode Champenoise
• After primary fermentation, wine is bottled for a secondary fermentation
• After disgorgement, a house liqueur de tirage is added before final corking of wine
Savoie Chignin:
• After fermentation, the wine is aged in stainless steel on fine lees for 9 months
Roussette de Savoie “Altesse”:
• Fermentation in stainless steel tank
• Aged in stainless steel tank for 6 to 8 months
Savoie Chignin-Bergeron:
• Bergeron is the local name for the Roussanne grape• “Les Terrasses” comes from vineyards so steep they had to be terraced (rare in Savoie, where vineyards are usually planted in the direction of the slope)
• “Le Grand Rebossan” is aged for 11 months in oak foudre with malolactic fermentation
• “Les Roches Blanches” and “Les Terrasses” most often do not undergo Malolactic fermentation and are bottled about 12 months after harvest
• “Côteau des Ducs” is fermented and raised in Oeuf de Beaune and Jarre for 9 months before bottling. The name is an homage to the dukes of Savoie who cultivated the vines during a time when Torméry was classed among the Grands Crus of Savoie.
Savoie Chignin Pinot Noir:
• Hand harvested
• Grapes are sorted and de-stemmed
• Maceration lasts 12 days
• Wine is aged until the August following the harvest, then bottled
Savoie Chignin Gamay:
• Hand harvested
• Some bunches are de-stemmed and some are not, and are vinified separately
• Fermentation in stainless steel tank
• Aged in stainless steel tank until bottling in spring
Savoie Arbin Mondeuse “Terres Brunes”:
• Maceration lasts 12 to 15 days in stainless steel tank
• Aged for 11 months, 50% in stainless steel tank, 50% in foudre
• Neither fined nor filtered
Savoie Chignin Mondeuse “Vieilles Vignes”:
• Hand harvested
• Grapes are not crushed and some whole bunches are added to the cuve
• Maceration lasts 12 to 15 days
• Wine is aged in foudre for one year before bottling
• Neither fined nor filteredGeneral Information
- Country
- France
- Region
- Savoie, Bugey, Hautes-Alpes
- Appellation(s)
- Savoie, Crémant de Savoie, Roussette de Savoie
- Producer
- Guillaume Quenard
- Founded
- 1976
- Annual Production
- 15,000 cases
- Website
- http://www.am-quenard.fr/