Bruno Lupin is known for his mastery of Roussette de Savoie, which many regard as the premier expression of the altesse grape in sub-alpine Savoie. In fact, Bruno’s skills as a vigneron are so renowned that in 2015 he was asked to head a new regeneration project called Vignes du Lac, located near the town of Veyrier-du-Lac on the banks of Lake Annecy in France’s Haute-Savoie region. The hillsides surrounding the lake were historically covered in vines, nearly all of which have disappeared due to real estate land pressure, as this astoundingly picturesque lake is a coveted vacation spot. 

Recently, the town council purchased a plot of land intending to restore an important piece of local culture. Local Veyrier-du-Lac resident Pierre Lachenal started Vignes du Lac with the goal of working with other local landowners to rent parts of their land to plant more vines. Pierre asked Bruno to handle the farming, winemaking, and marketing of the Vinges du Lac wine. Being the marathon man he is, Bruno has fully dedicated himself to the project for the future of local viticulture, planting altesse vines in the southwest-facing clay-limestone slopes overlooking Lac d’Annecy at 550 meters above sea level. 

The first vineyard planted, where the inaugural 2020 vintage comes from, was once a large vineyard that disappeared between 1900 and 1920. In 2015, Bruno planted .36 of a hectare on the site, as the plot is impossible to build houses on because of rockslides that fall from the towering Mont Veyrier. This incredible vineyard offers a stunning view of the lake below.

Vintage – 2020 saw a warm, dry growing season in Savoie, the earliest harvest since 2003; however it did not have the excessively hot nights that were a problem in 2003. Rains in June and July brought relief and helped with water reserves. In all, 2020 was an exceptional year with healthy fruit and fully-developed fruit structure, resulting in opulent, complex wines. 800 bottles produced of the 2020 vintage.

Vinification – In the winery, Bruno is hands-off with minimal intervention. After a manual harvest, native yeasts start the fermentation in stainless steel, and sulfur levels are kept to a minimum. The acidities are never corrected (a common practice in the region), and the wines ferment to dryness. Partial malolactic fermentation. Unfined, with no chaptalization or deacidification. Very light filtration.

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