What to plant, when and where.

By Edouard Bourgeois
October 28, 2021

The important notion of terroir is directly connected to a wine’s DNA and part of what defines the terroir is the grape variety. Imagining a Vosne-Romanée with no Pinot Noir or a Pomerol with no Merlot is simply impossible. The varietal is so important that the New World largely embraced the idea of making it the name of the wine. This is how terms like “Napa Cab” and “Barossa Shiraz” came to be known as practical names for consumers to recognize.

While the topic of global warming continues to animate conversations among everyone including winegrowers around the world, the question of grape variety being adapted to the newer climatic condition has been on the rise. Delicate and finicky varietals such as Pinot Noir may not seem to grow as well as they have been on their usual terrain, which led to rumors of planting Syrah in Burgundy... On the other side of the country, in 2019, the Union of Bordeaux AOC announced that seven new varieties were approved. In 2021 six of them were given a green light by the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d'Origine) for vineyard trials.

The approved six are:

Marselan (a cross of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache created in 1961)

Touriga Nacional (best known in Portugal)

Castets (nearly extinct; described as a "long-forgotten Bordeaux grape")

Arinarnoa (a little known cross of Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon created in 1956)

Albarino (Alvarinho)

Liliorila (a 1950s crossing of Baroque and Chardonnay, reportedly also created in 1956)

The odd one out of the seven proposed, which was not confirmed by the INAO, was Petit Manseng, a late-ripening grape popular in South West France and often used in dessert wines. It was felt this grape was too emblematic of the Pyrenées-Atlantique region, in the way Pinot Noir would be for Burgundy.

Petit Manseng is not entirely alone, however. According to the CIVB over 50 grapes have been considered for inclusion in Bordeaux wines since 2010.

Plump Marselan grapes in Bordeaux

Elizabeth Wolkowich, an assistant professor of organismic and evolutionary biology, co-wrote a new study that suggests that, although vineyards may be able to counteract some of the effects of climate change by planting lesser-known grape varieties, scientists and vintners need to better understand the wide diversity of grapes and their adaptions to different climates.

Wolkowich in her own words: “The Old World has a huge diversity of wine grapes — there are more than 1,000 varieties planted— and some of them are better adapted to hotter climates and have higher drought tolerance than the 12 varieties now making up over 80 percent of the wine market in many countries”.

I recently opened a bottle of red Mas de Daumas Gassac from 1979. This now emblematic wine of the Languedoc was born out of the visionary mind of Aime Guibert, founder of the Mas de Daumas Gassac in 1970. His idea was to grow Bordeaux varietals complemented by a wide diversity of “heirloom” varietals which of course forced him to declassify his wine to the mere Vin de Pays de l’Hérault appellation, although I won’t say that being banned the use of the Coteaux du Languedoc AOC is such a loss of prestige…

Its 50 hectares are planted with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Tannat, Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto for reds and Viognier, Chardonnay, Roussane, Marsanne, Chenin Blanc, Petit Manseng, Sercial and Muscat.

Aimé Guibert died at age 91 five years ago. His wines remain and if you can find an old vintage, do not hesitate. The 1979 was grandiose.

1979 was the second red vintage produced at the domaine. It showed a lot of life and characterisitc aromas of a superior Languedoc wine with dried herbs, dates, figs and smoked meat.