A Guide To The Grape Muscadelle
Interlude
Welcome to this post about the grape variety known as Muscadelle. A white grape that sees the most success in its native country France. In the last post we covered the grape variety Melon de Bourgogne. Also a very famous french type. We are doing these guides or posts to get an understanding of the vast world of wine and feel more confident navigating it.
Much like the last post we made, we will also discuss the history of the grape, the style of wine that it makes, climate and geography and of course some recommendations. So without further ado, let’s get started.
The history of the grape
The grape has a very long history of being blended with Semillon to make some of the world’s best sweet wines in Sauternes. Here it has been grown for many centuries and the winemaking has some pretty deep traditions. It is believed that it originates somewhere in the southwest of France. The grape is thought also to be a cross or hybrid between Gouis Blanch and another unknown grape variety.
In the southwest it flourished and was steadily planted year in and year out. It wasn’t until the early 21st century that the grape variety saw a great decline in popularity. This decline or decrease lasted all the way until the 90s. The reason for this was the early ripening of the grape and the uneven yields it sometimes produced. It was also very prone to decay and therefore unable to make the desired sweet wines that fetched the highest prices.
The grape also has a pretty rich history in Australia. It is however unknown how it ended up here. The winemakers first thought they had Pinot Gris. It wasn’t until the year 1976 that a man named Paul Treul recognized the vines as the Muscadelle variety. Back in France, the grape is being more and more replaced with Semillon as it is easier to grow and less affected by the weather and less likely to decay. But I would not expect this grape to disappear, just kept at a low volume. This is because it provides a lot of benefits to the wines included with it. It adds a much needed complexity and intensity.
The style of wine
It is rarely seen in varietal wines, almost impossible to find actually. It is instead included as a blending partner to some of the best sweet wines in the world. Often never blended with more than 10%, a sufficient amount to get all the benefits from it. It adds lots of deep flavours and complexity to the wines. It is used as a small component in dry wines also.
The main production or growth is happening in the Bordeaux region of France. Most famously in Sauternes. If you want to find a bottle that has a higher amount of Muscadelle blended with it, look to Monbazillac. Here the trend is to include more of it to get even more intense and age worthy wines. A special style can be found in Australia, in the region of Rutherregion.
Here the wines are aged in hot cellers to get an oxidized character to it and almost madeira like flavour. Similar styles of wine can also be found in the Barossa Valley in Australia. It was decided that the term Tokay should not be used as a label anymore in Australia because this could confuse people as to what the grape variety is.
In Alsace Pinot Gris is sometimes referred to as Tokay, this is why they have decided with the EU to no longer use it. The grape usually gets a signature lavish feeling to it with lots of textures in the form of silkiness. Making it very enjoyable to just have on its own and be fascinated by.
Climate and geography
We have gone over the fact that the grape has seen great hardship and decrease in cultivated volume, much because of the challenge that the winemakers face with it. It’s very prone to rot and yields inconsistently and often low too. So the negatives are very obvious but the positives is the ability to make remarkable sweet wines with it.
In the region of Sauternes the grapes have the perfect environment to dry out and get affected by botrytis. Here humidity in the vineyards becomes high enough that it starts to really push the concentration of flavours in the wine. It becomes easier for the mold to spread. The temperature is also not high enough that the ripening process is speeded up too much.
But it has not only found a place in France, we have discussed its cultivation in Australia too. Here the grapes succumb to higher temperature and dryer climate. It becomes harder to get the perfect environment for making sweet wines. They instead have to let the grapes dry out more. Making yields lower too.
Recommendations
So what kind of wines do I tend to lean towards or but then when it comes to Muscadelle wine? Well it’s very hard to say a wine that I enjoy purely for the grape since there are very rare expressions made into a varietal wine. So I instead appreciate the great vineyards that use it for the flavours of it. If you have a great patience, and I mean a great one, over 30 years.
The wines like Chateau Grillon, Château Bonnet and Château Menota. These are relatively cheap if you get the young vintages but they age particularly well. They are definitely worth picking up and experiencing later on in life. If you have a larger budget then I would highly suggest looking at Chateau Coutet. The Premier Cru one is just out of this world good.
Last words
That’s a wrap for this post about the grape Muscadelle. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this and feel more confident navigating the vast world of wine. In the next one we will cover the grape Muscat. Stay tuned for that!
