Mondeuse noire () is a red French wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the

Savoy Savoy (; frp, Savouè ; french: Savoie ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south. Savo ...

region of eastern France. The grape can also be found in Argentina,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, California,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

and Sicily. Plantings of Mondeuse noire was hit hard during the phylloxera epidemic of the mid to late 19th century which nearly wiped out the vine from eastern France. While the grape recovered slightly in the 20th century, French plantations of Mondeuse noire fell sharply in the 1970s, with just over left in France in 2000. In the early 21st century, it seems the variety has increased somewhat in popularity, as it can give good wines if the planting site is chosen carefully. It was previously suggested that Mondeuse noire was identical to the northern Italian wine grape variety Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso due to the similarity of the wines. In California, many plantings of Mondeuse noire were called ''Refosco'', further adding to the confusion.

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

has shown that this is not the case, and that the two varieties are unrelated. Mondeuse noire is very similar to Muscardin which is found in Southern Rhône where it is one of the thirteen grape varieties permitted in the wine Châteauneuf-du-Pape. One difference is that Muscardin has less sensitivity to downy mildew.J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 203 Mitchell Beazley 1986 Ampelographers also thought that Mondeuse noire was a color mutation of Mondeuse blanche but DNA evidence has shown that not to be the case with the two varieties having a parent-offspring relationship though it is not yet clear which variety is the parent and which is the offspring. References to Mondeuse usually are to Mondeuse noire rather than to Mondeuse blanche. Mondeuse noire does have a pink-berried color mutant, ''Mondeuse grise'', which was on the verge of extinction until ampelographer Pierre Galet was able to identify vines and have cuttings planted at the Domaine de Vassal conservation vineyard in

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

run by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA).J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 649-651, 878 Allen Lane 2012 In Savoie, Mondeuse noire is used in blending with Gamay,

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.' ...

and

Poulsard Poulsard (also Ploussard) is a red French wine grape variety from the Jura wine region. The name Ploussard is used mainly around the town of Pupillin but can appear on wine labels throughout Jura as an authorized synonyms. While technically a ...

where it contributes its dark color and high acid levels to the wine that allow the wines to age well.J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 201 Mitchell Beazley 1986 The grape is a permitted variety in the '' Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) wines of Bugey in the Ain department and

Vin de Savoie Vin de Savoie is an ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (French, AOC) and Protected Designation of Origin (EU, PDO) for red and white wines in the Savoy wine region of France, which is located in the foothills of the Alps. The region is divided ...

History

Grande Illustrazione del Lombardo Veneto Vol 3 Plinio Secondo 300dpi

There are several theories on the origin of the name ''Mondeuse''. It could be derived from: # the Franco-Provençal terms for pruning, ''émonder'' and ''monder'', which could be a reference to the fact that Mondeuse noire vines begin shedding their leaves before the grapes are harvested; or # the words ''moduse'' and ''moda'', which have been historically applied to grape varieties that yield a high proportion of

must Must (from the Latin ''vinum mustum'', "young wine") is freshly crushed fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit. The solid portion of the must is called pomace and typically makes up 7–23% of t ...

; or # the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

term ''mal doux'', which means "badly sweet" and may be a reference to the bitter flavors of Mondeuse noire berries when sampled off the vine. To this day, the synonym ''Maldoux'' is still associated with Mondeuse noire in wine regions such as Jura in eastern France. Most ampelographers believe that Mondeuse noire is indigenous to the Dauphiné region of southeastern France in an area that is now part of the Drôme, Hautes-Alpes and

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.Pierre Tochon, is that Mondeuse noire could be the Ancient Roman grape ''Allobrogica'' described by Pliny the Elder and Columella as well as the 2nd century Greek writer Celsus. Ampelographers disagree about the identity of this grape, which grew widely in the land of the Allobroges after whom it is named for, with other theories speculating that the grape was instead the ancestor of

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...

.H. Johnson ''Vintage: The Story of Wine'' pgs 90 & 369 Simon and Schuster 1989 The first mention of Mondeuse noire, under the synonym ''Maldoux'', dates to a February 3, 1731 decree from the parliament of Besançon in the Doubs department of the

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...

. This decree mandated that all plantings of several grape varieties, including Maldoux, Enfariné,

Foirard noir Gueuche noir is a red French wine grape variety that has been historically grown in the Franche-Comté of eastern France but is now close to being extinct. Though its exact relationship has not yet been determined by DNA analysis, ampelographers be ...

Foirard blanc Calitor or Calitor noir is a red French wine grape variety. It was previously widely cultivated in southern France, in particular in Provence, but is now very rare, almost extinct. Historically used as mainly a blending variety, Calitor gives ...

Valet noir A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet ...

and Barclan blanc, that were planted after 1702 had to be uprooted and replaced with

cereal A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...

crops. Under the name ''Mondeuse noire'', the grape was noted in records from 1845 growing in the valley of the

Relationship to other grapes

Mondeuse noire was once thought to be dark-berried color mutation of Mondeuse blanche, a variety that is best known for being the mother vine to the Rhône wine grape Syrah. However, in the early 21st century,

DNA profiling 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 tec ...

showed that the two grapes actually had parent-offspring relationship though it is not yet known which grape is the parent and which is the offspring. This relationship makes Mondeuse noire, which is also known under the synonym ''Grosse Syrah'', either a grandparent or half-sibling to Syrah. When Mondeuse noire was first introduced to California in the 19th century, some plantings of the vine were misidentified as the Italian wine grape Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso. This confusion was exacerbated in the 1960s when cuttings of Mondeuse noire labeled as "Refosco" were taken by the University of California, Davis from a vineyard in

Amador County Amador County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,474. The county seat is Jackson. Amador County, located within California's Gold Country, is known as "The ...

that was established in 1880s and propagated. In 1990s ampelographers began suspecting that these cuttings were not Refosco but rather Mondeuse noire, a fact later confirmed by DNA profiling. Bonarda Grape by lipecillo

In addition to the confusion with Refosco, some plantings of Mondeuse noire in the Russian River Valley were discovered to actually be an offspring of Mondeuse noire, Calzin. This crossing of Mondeuse noire and

Zinfandel Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kaštel ...

was created by UC-Davis viticulturist Harold Olmo in 1937 and later developed a white-berried color mutation known as ''Helena''. Also in the late 20th and early 21st century, it was discovered that some of the plantings of Petite Sirah were actually field blends of true Petite Sirah (Durif) as well as several other varieties including Mondeuse noire.Appellation America '
Mondeuse-Refosco
'' Accessed: May 7th, 2013 Though the exact relationship is not yet known, DNA analysis has also shown that Mondeuse noire has some relationship to the Savoie wine grape

Douce noir Douce noir (also known as Bonarda, Corbeau and Charbono) is a red Savoyard wine grape variety that has historically been grown in the Savoy region, but today is more widely planted in Argentina. The earliest mention of the grape dates from whe ...

which is known as ''Charbono'' in California and ''Bonarda'' in Argentina.

Mondeuse grise

While Mondeuse noire and Mondeuse blanche are not color mutations of one or the other, DNA evidence has confirmed that, like Pinot gris and Pinot noir, ''Mondeuse grise'' was a pink-berried mutation of Mondeuse noire. First described by ampelographer Victor Pulliat in the late 19th century, the vine was thought to be extinct until plantings were identified by Pierre Galet in the 1950s. From these plantings, cuttings were taken and the vine was planted at the Domaine de Vassal conservation vineyard in Montpellier ran by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA). Today, outside of the plantings at the INRA's conservation vineyards, the only significant plantings of Mondeuse grise are being propagated as ''Persagne grise'' by

Michel Grisard Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

in Savoie.

Viticulture

Mondeuse noire is a mid-ripening grape variety that tends to thrive on stony vineyard soils that have a high limestone and clay content. The vine can be very vigorous and high yielding which requires the cordons to be pruned short during the winter to keep the vine in check. Among the viticultural hazards that Mondeuse noire is susceptible to include chlorosis,

mites Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...

, downy and powdery mildew. The vine is also very sensitive to drought conditions which may require irrigation in the vineyard. In Savoie, Mondeuse noire plantings are most often

trained Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

in spur pruned systems.Clive Coates ''An Encyclopedia of the Wines and Domaines of France'' pgs 31, 569-573 University of California Press; First Printing edition (June 2001)

Wine regions

In 2009, there were 300 hectares (741 acres) of Mondeuse noire planted in France the vast majority of it in the Savoie wine region and the departments of eastern France. Here it is a permitted grape variety in the ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) wines of Bugey in the Ain department and Vin de Savoie as well as the vin de pays wines of the region labeled under zonal designation of ''Vin de Pays d'Allobrogie''. In Bugey, Mondeuse noire is permitted to be blended with Gamay and

in the red and ''

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. ...

'' wines of the AOC provided that the grapes are harvested to a yield no greater than 45 hectoliters/hectare (approximately 2.4 tonnes/acre) and the finished reaches at least 9%

alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

. Bugey wines can also allow one of the villages in the region along the Rhone and Ain to hyphenate their names along to the AOC designation provided the harvest is restricted to no more than 40 hl/ha and the wine is made above the minimum alcohol level of 9.5%.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pgs 109-110 Firefly Books 2004 The Vin de Savoie AOC covers 1,500 hectares (3,705 acres) northeast of Lyon towards to the Swiss border. Here Mondeuse noire is grown and permitted to be blended with Gamay and Pinot noir in the red and ''rosé'' wines of the AOC. Here yields are restricted to 60 hl/ha (approximately 3.2 tonnes/acre) for the basic AOC and 55 hl/ha for '' cru'' classified wine and minimum alcohol levels are 9.5% for basic AOC and 10% for ''cru'' classified. While rarely used, Mondeuse noire is also permitted in the sparkling ''Vin de Savoie Mousseux'' or semi-sparkling ''Vin de Savoie Pétillant'' wines of the region. Like Pinot noir, which is a red wine grape used in Champagne, Mondeuse noire destined for sparkling wine production would be pressed soon after harvest in order to avoid having the white grape juice tinted by the color phenolics in the skins that are usually leached out by the maceration process.T. Stevenson, ed. ''The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia (4th Edition)'' pp. 169–178 Dorling Kindersley 2005 In

, the grape is known as ''Gros Rouge'' and in the 19th century was the most widely planted red grape variety planted along the shores of Lake Geneva in what is now the Vaud, Valais and

Geneva canton The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...

s. However, plantings of Mondeuse noire sharply declined throughout the 20th century and by 2009 there were only 4 hectares (10 acres) of the grape scattered throughout the Geneva and Vaud cantons.

In the New World

Outside of Europe, Mondeuse noire can be found in New World wine region of

where producers such as Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard grow the grape in Victoria. Among Brown Brothers 1.2 hectares (3 acres) of Mondeuse noire are 100 year plus old vines that date back to 1907. Here the variety is often co-fermented with Syrah and

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

. Mondeuse noire has been planted in California since at least the 1880s when it was described by Charles Krug as one of the varieties that "ambitious winemen" were planting along with

, Petite Sirah, Miller Burgundy (likely Pinot Meunier), Crabb Burgundy and Malbec. Today, however, it is difficult to get an accurate count of Mondeuse noire plantings due to the longstanding confusion and mis-identification of plantings as being Refosco (and later confusion with Calzin). While the University of California, Davis officially corrected the error in 2005, the state of California was still counting Mondeuse noire and Refosco plantings as one and the same in their 2008 acreage reports. Some producers, such as

Lagier-Meredith Carole P. Meredith is an American grape geneticist and was a professor at the Department of Viticulture and Enology of University of California, Davis. Career Before she retired in 2003, Meredith and her research group pioneered the use of DN ...

in Napa Valley, which is owned by UC-Davis geneticist Carole Meredith, have been able to independently confirm that their plantings of Mondeuse noire as authentic. In the United States, Mondeuse noire is used to produce wines in several

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of winery, wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know abo ...

s including the Van Duzer Corridor AVA of Oregon's Willamette Valley at Pamar Vineyard and Johann Vineyard. Central Coast,

El Dorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...

Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States. They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco. They separate the Pacific Ocean from ...

and Santa Maria Valley AVAs in California as well as the Southern Oregon AVAs of the Rogue Valley and Umpqua Valley AVA.

Styles

According to Master of Wine

Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...

, Mondeuse noire tends to produce deeply colored and very

aromatic wines Aromatic wines are white wines with dominant aroma. The best known are riesling, gewürztraminer, viognier, muscat and pinot gris. Torrontés Torrontés is a white grape variety, mostly produced and known in Argentine wine, producing fresh, arom ...

that can be very

tannic Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanne ...

but often have good

aging potential The aging of wine is potentially able to improve the quality of wine. This distinguishes wine from most other consumable goods. While wine is perishable and capable of deteriorating, complex chemical reactions involving a wine's sugars, acids and ...

. Some examples will have "bitter cherry bite" that can be reminiscent of some Italian styles of wine. In California, the grape is often blended with other varieties such as Syrah and tends to produce dark and spicy wines. Wine expert Oz Clarke notes that one of the reasons why Mondeuse noire was often associated with the Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine grape Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso was likely due to "Italianate intensity" of the wines produced from the grape with their bitter cherry notes and dark plum fruit.Oz Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 138 Harcourt Books 2001 Master of Wine

Clive Coates Clive Coates (21 October 1941 – 26 July 2022) was a British wine writer and Master of Wine, best known for his books about the wines of Burgundy.winepros.com.au. Biography Born in Wimbledon, London on 21 October 1941, Coates worked for T ...

notes that Mondeuse noire sometimes has difficulties fully ripening in the cool alpine climates of Savoie and eastern France which can lead to some examples of the wine being very acidic, tart and lacking fruit. However, wine expert Hugh Johnson believes that Mondeuse noire is often "underrated" and in Savoie has the potential to produce "forthright, fruity reds".

Synonyms

Over the years Mondeuse noire has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Angelique, Argillet, Argilliere, Begeain, Begean, Bon Savoyan, Chetouan, Cintuan, Cotillon Des Dames, Gascon, Grand Chetuan, Grand Picot, Grand Picou, Gros Chetuan, Gros Picot, Gros Piquot, Gros Plant, Gros Rouge (in the Vaud and Geneva cantons of Switzerland), Gros Rouge Du Pays, Grosse Sirah, Gueyne, Guyenne, La Dame, Languedoc, Largillet, Maldoux (in Jura), Mandouse, Mandoux, Mandouze, Mantouse, Margilien, Margillin, Marlanche noire, Marsanne noire, Marsanne Ronde, Marve, Maudos, Maudoux, Meximieux, Molette, Molette noire, Mondeuse Rouge, Morlanche Mouteuse, Parcense, Persagne (in the Ain department), Persaigne, Persance, Persanne, Petite Persaigne (in the

Rhône department The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

), Pinot Vache, Plant Maldoux (in Jura), Plant Maudos, Plant Medoc, Plant Modo, Plant Modol, Plant noir, Prossaigne, Refosco, Rodo (in Portugal), Rouget, Salanaise, Savoe, Savoete, Savouai, Savouette, Savoyan (in the

References

{{Reflist, 2 Red wine grape varieties