Mondeuse Blanche
Savoie, France
A rare white grape from the alpine Savoie region of France, cultivated today mainly for its historical significance as the other parent of Syrah.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Rare
Climate
Cool climate
Ripening
Mid season
Wine styles
Still
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
France
Savoie
A small number of growers maintain plantings mainly for historical and genetic interest.
Background
Origin & History
Mondeuse Blanche is a rare alpine variety from Savoie in eastern France, long overshadowed even locally by the red Mondeuse Noire. It was once assumed to be a colour mutation of Mondeuse Noire, but DNA shows a parent-offspring relationship between the two, with the direction not yet settled. For most of its history it was a minor curiosity, grown in small quantities in the mountainous vineyards near Chambéry.
Its significance today is almost entirely genetic: the same DNA research that identified Dureza as one parent of Syrah identified Mondeuse Blanche as the other, making this obscure alpine white grape one half of the ancestry of one of the world's great red wine varieties — a striking case of an unassuming grape hiding in plain sight for centuries.
Lineage
Family tree
Parentage not recorded — Mondeuse Blanche is an old variety of unknown origin. Click a related grape to explore its own lineage.