Léon Millot (sometimes called "Leon Millot Rouge" (or "Foster's Leon") to distinguish it from "Leon Millot Noir" (a.k.a. "Wagner's Leon") which many breeders believe to be ) is a red

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

hybrid grape Hybrid grapes are grape varieties that are the product of a crossing of two or more ''Vitis'' species. This is in contrast to crossings between grape varieties of the same species, typically ''Vitis vinifera'', the European grapevine. Hybrid grap ...

used for

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

.Leon Millot
,

Vitis International Variety Catalogue The Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) is a database of various species and varieties/cultivars of grapevine, the genus ''Vitis''. VIVC is administered by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding (''Institut für Rebenzüchtung Gei ...

, accessed on June 17, 2010 It was created in 1911 in the Oberlin Institute in Colmar,

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, by the French viticulturist Eugène Kuhlmann (1858–1932) by crossing the hybrid grape (which is

Vitis riparia ''Vitis riparia'' Michx, with common names riverbank grape or frost grape, is a vine indigenous to North America. As a climbing or trailing vine, it is widely distributed across central and eastern Canada and the central and northeastern parts ...

Vitis rupestris ''Vitis rupestris'' is a species of grape native to the United States that is known by many common names including July, Coon, sand, sugar, beach, bush, currant, ingar, rock, and mountain grape. It is used for breeding several French-American hy ...

) with

Goldriesling Goldriesling is a grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera'' used for white wine. It was created in 1893 by Christian Oberlin in Colmar, Alsace by crossing Riesling with another grape variety, which is sometimes given as Courtillier Musqu ...

, which is ''

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are curr ...

''. The variety was named after the winemaker and tree nursery owner Léon Millot.

Characteristics

Léon Millot ripens early, is blue-skinned, grows with fair vigor, and has high resistance against fungal diseases. It is therefore suited for cultivation in cooler climates. The grape has small berries and small clusters (perhaps 0.20 lbs/cluster), and thus it is time-consuming to manually harvest. It can yield a bigger wine similar to a ripe Syrah, or a lighter wine more in the style of Pinot Noir. Common aromatic and flavor profiles for Leon Millot include earthy/barnyard/woodsy notes, purple fruits, and chocolate.

Winemaking

There are two general approaches to winemaking with Leon Millot: First, if the grapes are pressed at crush and removed from the skins after a few hours of contact time, the juice makes a bright cherry-red wine whose flavor is rich and vivid. The chemistry is fairly simple with this approach. Second, the traditional approach involves long skin contact time, with

malolactic fermentation Malolactic conversion (also known as malolactic fermentation or MLF) is a process in winemaking in which tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. Malolactic fermentation is most often ...

and subsequent tartaric addition. This produces a medium-bodied red wine that takes oak and ages well, with the flavor profile of a rustic Pinot Noir. Some winemakers believe that if left on the skins too long, Leon Millot can develop unwanted herbaceous notes. Also, the grape is high in malic acid and a malolactic fermentation is usually necessary. A malic-reducing yeast might also be used to good effect. As the grape is low in tannin, a tannin addition during fermentation is often useful, and that may also help to prevent color loss. If Leon Millot is allowed to remain too long at higher pH levels, its deep, vivid purple color can change to red or brick red.

Cultivation

Léon Millot is cultivated in small amounts in Switzerland (on in 2009),

, Oregon,

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Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In August 2011, a Leon Millot varietal wine produced by Keuka Lake Vineyards in the

Finger Lakes The Finger Lakes are a group of eleven long, narrow, roughly north–south lakes located south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York, in the United States. This region straddles the northern and transitional ...

region of New York State won the prize for "best red wine" in the "New York Wine and Food Classic," sponsored by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation and open to all of New York's 307 wineries.

Regulation

In similarity with many other hybrid grapes, Leon Millot was originally not allowed to be used in professional winemaking in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

. However, after the regulations were somewhat relaxed, varieties with some ''Vitis vinifera'' in their pedigree, such as Léon Millot, are currently allowed to be used for wine production in Europe.Arrêté du 18 avril 2008 relatif au Catalogue officiel des espèces et variétés de plantes cultivées en France (plants de vigne)
Legifrance Léon Millot was the product of the same crossing trials as

Lucie Kuhlmann Lucie is the French and Czech form of the female name Lucia. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Lucie Ahl, British tennis player * Lucie Arnaz, American actress * Lucie Aubrac, member of the French Resistance * Lucie Balthaza ...

, Marechal Joffre (grape) and

Marechal Foch (grape) Maréchal Foch () is an inter-specific hybrid French red wine grape variety. It was developed at the Oberlin Institute in Colmar-Alsace, at the beginning of the 20th century, by Eugène Kuhlmann, then known as Kuhlmann 188-2''.'' The variety a ...

, and these three varieties are related.

Synonyms

Léon Millot is also known under the synonyms Kuhlmann 194-2 and Millot. It is also supposed to have been called Frühe Schwarze when cultivated in the German wine region of Ahr.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leon Millot Hybrid grape varieties Canadian wine Red wine grape varieties