Petit Meslier is a rare white wine grape that is a minor component of some

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

blends. It is valued for its ability to retain

acidity In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a ...

even in hot vintages. In the very rare cases where it is not blended, it makes crisp wines tasting of apples. The Traminer family of grapes can be difficult to grow, with poor disease resistance and low yields.

History and pedigree

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 t ...

has shown that like

Aubin blanc Aubin blanc (or simply Aubin) is a white wine grape from the upper reaches of the Moselle valley in eastern France. History DNA fingerprinting has shown that Aubin is the result of a cross between Gouais blanc and Savagnin. Gouais blanc was wide ...

, Petit Meslier is the result of a cross between Gouais blanc and

Savagnin Savagnin or Savagnin blanc (not to be confused with Sauvignon blanc) is a variety of white wine grape with green-skinned berries. It is mostly grown in the Jura region of France, where it is made into Savagnin wine or the famous vin jaune and vi ...

. Gouais blanc is a parent 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 ...

and

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 Aub ...

among others, and Savagnin is common in

Jura wine Jura may refer to: Places * Jura, Scotland, island of the Inner Hebrides off Great Britain *Jūra, river in Lithuania Mountain ranges * Jura Mountains, on the French–Swiss–German border *Franconian Jura, south-central Germany *Swabian Jura, ...

(including

Vin jaune ''Vin jaune'' ( French for "yellow wine") is a special and characteristic type of white wine made in the Jura region in eastern France. It is similar to dry fino Sherry and gets its character from being matured in a barrel under a film of yeas ...

) and is a variety in the

Traminer Savagnin or Savagnin blanc (not to be confused with Sauvignon blanc) is a variety of white wine grape with green-skinned berries. It is mostly grown in the Jura region of France, where it is made into Savagnin wine or the famous vin jaune and vi ...

family which also includes

Gewürztraminer Gewürztraminer () is an aromatic wine grape variety, used in white wines, and performs best in cooler climates. In English, it is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz (; although this is never the case in German, because "Gewürz" me ...

. The Swiss variety Amigne also has a parent-offspring relationship with Petit Meslier.

Australia

Levrier Wines by Jo Irvine
believe that their Meslier Brut Rosé is the only single varietal Meslier Rosé produced in the world. Grapes are sourced from a single vineyard from the Adelaide Hills in South Australia.

France

There are just 20

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100- metre sides (1 hm2), or 10,000 m2, and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. An acre i ...

s in France.

Duval-Leroy Duval-Leroy is a Champagne producer based in Vertus, a village in the Côte des Blancs region of Champagne. The house, founded in 1859, produces both vintage and non-vintage '' cuvées'' as well as a line of organic wines.Interview with Carol ...

have made a single varietal champagne, the Authentis Petit Meslier, which was criticised by Decanter for over-oaking. Champagne Moutard use 1/6th of Petit Meslier in their unique "Cuvée Six Cépages" : Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Arbane and Petit Meslier. Champagne Laherte Frères has some in its cuvée "Les 7" along with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier, Arbanne and Fromenteau. L. Aubry Fils includes Petit Meslier as a component of the "Le Nombre d'Or Sablé Blanc des Blancs Brut Campanae Veteres Vites" bottling as well as part of the standard Brut bottling.

Synonyms

Arbonne, Barnay, Bernais, Bernet, Co De France, Crene, Feuille D'Ozerolle, Hennequin, Lepine, Maille, Maye, Melie, Melie Blanc, Melier, Meslier De Champagne, Meslier Dore, Meslier Petit A Queue Rouge, Meslier Vert, Mornain Blanc, Orbois, Petit Meslier, Petit Meslier A Queue Rouge, Petit Meslier Dore, Queue Rouge, Saint Lye

References

{{Wines White wine grape varieties Champagne (wine)

History and pedigree

Australia

France

Synonyms

See also

References