Bachet noir is a traditional French variety of red wine grape that is a sibling of

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new ...

. A little is still grown in the

Aube Aube () is a French department in the Grand Est region of north-eastern France. As with sixty departments in France, this department is named after a river: the Aube. With 310,242 inhabitants (2019),Gamay Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire_Valley_(wine), Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, mentioned as long a ...

wines.

History

DNA fingerprinting DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's DNA characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding. DNA profiling is a forensic te ...

has shown that it is one of many grapes to be the result of a cross between

Gouais blanc Gouais blanc () or Weißer Heunisch () is a white grape variety that is seldom grown today but is important as the ancestor of many traditional French and German grape varieties. The name ''Gouais'' derives from the old French adjective ‘ ...

(Heunisch) and

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

, making it a sibling of famous varieties such as Chardonnay and

Aligoté Aligoté is a white grape used to make dry white wines, especially in the Burgundy region of France where it was first recorded in the 18th century.winepros.com.au. Since it is tolerant to cold, this variety is also cultivated in Eastern Europ ...

. Gouais blanc was widely grown by the French peasantry in the Medieval ages. This offered many opportunities for hybridization, and the offspring benefited from hybrid vigour as the parents were genetically quite different. The fact that it is now only found in the Aube, and is descended from grapes that have been grown locally for hundreds of years, suggests that it originated to the north of Burgundy. Other Gouais blanc/Pinot crosses include

Aubin vert Aubin vert is a white French wine grape variety that is grown in the Lorraine region where it is an authorized variety for the ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) wines of the Moselle. While often confused for the Côtes de Toul grape Aubi ...

, Auxerrois,

Beaunoir Beaunoir is a traditional French variety of red wine grape that is a sibling of Chardonnay. The 'beautiful black' grape produces a thin wine and not much is grown these days. History DNA fingerprinting has shown that it is one of many grapes to ...

, Franc Noir de la-Haute-Saône, Gamay Blanc Gloriod, Gamay noir,

Melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a " pepo". The ...

, Knipperlé, Peurion,

Romorantin Romorantin is a traditional French variety of white wine grape, that is a sibling of Chardonnay. Once quite widely grown in the Loire, it has now only seen in the Cour-Cheverny AOC. It produces intense, minerally wines somewhat reminiscent o ...

, Roublot, and Sacy

Viticulture

Bachet noir has small, winged bunches of small grapes

Wine regions

Tiny amounts of Bachet noir are grown in the Aube, between Champagne and Chablis. It contributes color and body to the red wines of this northerly region.

Synonyms

Bachet, Bachey, François, François Noir, François Noir De Bar-Sur-Aube, Gris Bachet

References

External links

VIVC Bibliography
{{Wines Red wine grape varieties