This wine domaine was founded by the fathers of Alexandra and Jérome in 1975. At the time, their parents were subsistence farmers (a little bit of everything: milk, cows, beef, hay, wheat and some table grapes and wine not worth drinking. To survive economically, one brother, a charcutier (pork butcher) and the other, a construction entrepreneur, worked on the vines on the weekends and in their spare time and planted AC grapes varieties.Two cousins, Alexandra and Jérome took over the domain from their fathers in 2004 and the wines have been delightful ever since.

Comprised of 10 hectares, of which 6 ha are 30 years old and 4 ha are less than 20 years old, Domaine Labbé is located 15km south of Chambéry, a village famous for its Vermouth and cheese.  Vinification practices preserve both varietal typicity and freshness – the cellar temperature is controlled, fermentation occurs through indigenous yeasts in non-reactive tanks/foudres.

The Savoie region is an Alpine region in Eastern France neighboring Switzerland with many of its vineyards lying close to the Rhone River as it winds its way from Geneva southward.  1,725 hectares are under vine in the Savoie, two-thirds of which are white, but very little of its wines are found outside of the region as they are mostly consumed locally, given the region’s popularity as both a winter and summer vacation destination. There are 17 crus entitled to append their names to the Vin de Savoie appellation, of which Abymes is one. The appellation controllée ABYMES comes from the French word “abimé” which means broken and refers to the broken stones in the avalanches from the mountains (Alps). The stones are sierra colored.   Varieties are largely indigenous; the most widely planted white is Jacquère, the variety planted at Domaine Labbé.

Made from 100% Jacquère, Domaine Labbé Brut de Savoie shares more than a few qualities with its alpine environs – think cold, rushing stream and aromas of pine trees.  Try this with charcuterie, Beaufort (or Camtal, or . . . ), apples, or just as a treat in the afternoon.  Drink now – 2010.