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 of

hybrid grape Hybrid grapes are grape varieties that are the product of a Hybrid (biology), 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 grape ...

used for

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

.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 G ...

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

Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

, 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, which is ''

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

''. 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 (flavor), tart-tasting malic acid, naturally present in grape must, is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid. Malolactic fermentation ...

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 Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

(on in 2009),

, Oregon,

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. 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 directly south of Lake Ontario in an area called the ''Finger Lakes region'' in New York (state), New York, in the United States. This region straddles th ...

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 union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

. 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, 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, then known as Kuhlmann 188-2, by Eugène Kuhlmann''.'' 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