Variety of grape
Douce noir
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/Bonarda_Grape_by_lipecillo.jpg/220px-Bonarda_Grape_by_lipecillo.jpg) Douce noir/Bonarda grapes growing in Argentina
|
Color of berry skin
| Noir
|
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Species
| Vitis vinifera
|
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Also called
| Bonarda, Corbeau, Charbonneau
more
|
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Origin
| Savoy
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Sex of flowers
| Hermaphrodite
|
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VIVC
number
| 2826
|
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Douce noir
(also known as
Bonarda
,
Corbeau
and
Charbono
) is a red
Savoyard wine
grape variety
that has historically been grown in the
Savoy
region, but today is more widely planted in
Argentina
.
It arrived in Savoy in the early 19th century, and by the end of the century it was the most widely grown red wine grape in the region. It is the second most widely planted red grape in Argentina (after
Malbec
). The grape is also grown in
California
where it is known as
Charbono
.
[1]
In California, Bonarda/Douce noir/Charbono is produced in very limited amounts with the grape having been described as a "
cult wine
" for its scarcity and devotion of its connoisseurs.
[2]
However, journalists such as Alan Goldfarb describes the variety as "... the
Rodney Dangerfield
of wine" and notes that it is a hard variety to find a market for.
[3]
History and origins
[
edit
]
Vineyards in Savoie where Douce noir likely originated
Some of the early synonyms of Douce noir,
Plant de Turin
and
Turin
, hinted that the grape have originated in the
Piedmont wine
region of Italy. The name
Douce noir
itself means "sweet black" in
French
which is similar to the
Italian
name of the Piedmont grape
Dolcetto nero
("small sweet black") which further lead to the fact that Douce noir had Piedmontese origins. This hypothesis, as well as any relation with Dolcetto, would later be dispelled by
DNA analysis
in the 21st century and today
ampelographers
believe that the grape likely originated in the
Savoie
region of eastern France.
[1]
[4]
In Savoie, the earliest mention of the grape variety dates to a letter written on November 24, 1803 by the mayor of
Saint-Pierre-d'Albigny
to the
prefect
of Savoie describing the grape varieties growing in his commune. Other documents showed that Douce noir was also widely planted in the communes of
Arbin
and
Montmelian
and by the end of the 19th century it was the most widely planted red grape variety in Savoie.
[1]
Douce noir was also found outside of Savoie, particularly in
Jura
, where the grape was known as
Corbeau
which means "
crow
" and is thought to be a reference to the inky black
color of the wine
that Douce noir can produce.
[1]
Discovery of other plantings
[
edit
]
While plantings of Bonarda/Douce noir dwindled in Italy and France, DNA research of grape varieties in other wine growing regions revealed that the grape was more widely planted than originally thought. In 2000 DNA analysis revealed that the
Turca
grape growing in the
Veneto wine
region of northeast Italy since at least the early 20th century was actually Bonarda. This came after the discovery that the Charbono wine grape of California, introduced to the Napa Valley as
Barbera
by Italian immigrants in the early 19th century, was also Bonarda/Douce noir/Corbeau. Further research confirmed by 2008 that the
Bonarda/Charbono
grape that was the second most widely planted red grape variety in Argentina, after Malbec, was actually the Savoie wine grape Bonarda/Douce noir.
[1]
Viticulture and relationship to other grapes
[
edit
]
DNA profiling has shown that Douce noir, which is known as Bonarda in Argentina, is not related to any of the Italian grape varieties, such as Croatina
(pictured)
that are also known as Bonarda.
Bonarda/Douce noir is a
very late ripening
grape variety that is often
harvested
after
Cabernet Sauvignon
. To extend the growing season, some vignerons will
prune early
in January in order to promote early
bud break
. The grape has very thick skins and a high
phenolic content
which requires heat in order to achieve
physiological ripeness
but excessive heat can risk creating "cooked flavors" in the resulting wines. Growers in California have discovered some of the more ideal vineyard locations for Douce noir/Charbono are warm-climate sites with significant
diurnal temperature variations
from a drop in night time temperature.
[2]
In California, many of the Bonarda/Douce noir/Charbono
vines are very old
with some blocks over 70 years old. Many of these vines have developed various viral
grape diseases
and producers have slowly been replanting acres with young vines of newer
clones
and
rootstock
. The
yield
for many of these older plantings is often around 2.5 to 3 tons/acre (approximately 47 to 57
hectoliters
/
hectares
) while younger plantings can often produce 6 to 8 tons/acre (approximately 114 to 152 hl/ha).
[2]
Despite sharing several synonyms and often being confused for one or the other, Douce noir has no known relationship to the Piedmontese grapes Dolcetto and
Bonarda Piemontese
nor to any of the other Italian varieties that have
Bonarda
as a synonym such as
Croatina
and
Uva Rara
. It also has no known relationship to
Douce Noire grise
an old French variety that according to ampelographer
Pierre Galet
is no longer cultivated.
[1]
Wine regions
[
edit
]
Today Douce noir is far more likely to be found in the
New World wine
regions of California and Argentina than it is in native France. In 2007 there were only 2
hectares
(5 acres) of Douce noir reported in production most of it in the Savoie and Jura wine region where it is often blended with
Persan
. One producer makes a
varietal
style under the
Vin de Pays
d'Allobrogie
designation.
[1]
In Argentina, the 18,759 hectares (46,354 acres) of Bonarda/Douce noir makes it is the second most widely planted red grape variety in the country after Malbec and representing 8% of the country's total vineyard plantings.
[5]
The vast majority of the plantings are in the
Mendoza wine
region but significant plantings can also be found in the
La Rioja
,
San Juan
, and (the relatively unknown) Catamarca provinces. Here the grape is used for both blending (sometimes with Malbec or even
Cabernet Sauvignon
) but also as a varietal wine that
Master of Wine
Jancis Robinson
notes has the potential to be of high quality.
[1]
California Charbono
[
edit
]
Harold Olmo from the University of California, Davis was one of the first to realize that Inglenook's plantings of
Barbera
were not the Italian wine grape but rather a completely different variety, Bonarda/Charbono. Later discoveries would show that California's Charbono was actually the Italian wine grape Bonarda/Douce noir.
In California, where the grape is known as
Charbono
, the variety has a long history in the Napa Valley where it was an important variety for producers such as
Inglenook
and
Parducci
, even though it was mistakenly labeled as
Barbera
, and sometimes
Pinot noir
, until the 1930s. Inglenook won many
wine competitions
with the variety labeled as
Barbera
and Parducci would often blend the grape with its other (true) Pinot noir plantings. It wasn't until research conducted at the
University of California, Davis
by
Harold Olmo
and, later,
Albert Winkler
, confirm that these various plantings of
Barbera
and
Pinot noir
were, in fact, a different grape altogether, which was called Bonarda/Charbono. Inglenook would release its first varietal labeled Charbono in 1941. In 1999,
Carole Meredith
, also of UC-Davis, would link Charbono to the grape Bonarda/Douce noir/Corbeau.
[2]
In 2008, there were 36 hectares (88 acres) of Bonarda/Charbono/Douce noir with nearly half of those plantings in Napa Valley, particularly in the warm
Calistoga AVA
. Other plantings can be found in the
American Viticultural Areas
of
Monterey
,
Madera
,
Mendocino
[1]
Lodi
,
Dos Rios
,
Sierra Foothills
and
Mount Veeder
.
[6]
While sometimes used a blending variety, the grape has been prominently featured as a varietal or major component of wines from
Heitz Wine Cellars
,
Turley Wine Cellars
,
Castoro Cellars
, Pear Valley Vineyards
Robert Foley
,
[1]
[4]
and
Bonny Doon Vineyard
.
[2]
Styles
[
edit
]
A California Douce noir labeled as Charbono.
In the Old World wine regions of France and Italy, Bonarda/Douce noir is often used as blending grape contributing to the
mid-palate
of the wine. In California, the grape is often made as a varietal wine. There, many of the Bonarda/Douce noir/Charbono vines planted are very old, producing a very dense,
medium to full bodied
wine with a deep, inky purple
color
and moderate
acidity
. The wines often have black fruit and plum
aroma
and flavor notes that can develop into leather and tar notes as the wine ages. Well-made examples from favorable
vintages
can have the potential to
age in the bottle
for 10 to 20 years.
[2]
In Argentina, varietal examples of Douce noir/Bonarda are similarly characterized by a deep purple color with notes of
cassis
,
fennel
,
cherry
, and dried
fig
.
[5]
Wine expert
Oz Clarke
notes that the grape needs a long
growing season
and time to fully ripen or the wines will have green,
vegetal
flavors.
[7]
Bonarda/Douce noir lends itself to moderate
alcohol levels
, only very rarely going above 14%.
[3]
In
food and wine pairings
, this can make Douce noir a very versatile wine that can be paired with
game meat
as well as
chicken
,
cheese
and
seafood
dishes in heavy sauces.
[2]
Synonyms
[
edit
]
Over the years Bonarda/Douce noir has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Alcantino, Aleante, Batiolin, Bathiolin (in
Albertville
), Blaue Gansfuesser, Bonarda (in Argentina), Bourdon noir, Carbonneau, Charbonneau (in
Jura
), Charbono (in California), Corbeau (in the
Ain
and
Isere
departments as well as Jura), Cot Merille, Cot Rouge Merille, Cote Rouge, Dolcetto Grosso, Dolutz, Douce noire, Folle Noire d L'Ariege, Grenoblois, Korbo, Mauvais noir, Ocanette, Picot Rouge, Plant de Calarin, Plant de Montmelion, Plant de Savoie, Plant de Turin (in Jura), Plant noir (in the
Haute-Savoie
department), Turca (in the
Trentino
region of Italy), Turin (in Jura) and Turino.
[1]
[8]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz
Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours
pgs 309-310 Allen Lane 2012
ISBN
978-1-846-14446-2
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Patrica Savoie
"
Charbono: A Grape Struggles to Avoid Extinction
"
Wine Business Monthly
. May 2003 issue. Accessed: April 27th, 2013
- ^
a
b
Alan Goldfarb
"
Charbono: The Misunderstood Grape Breaks Through…Barely
"
Appellation America, January 25th, 2008
- ^
a
b
Richard Nalley
"
Paging Charbono and Mencia
"
Forbes
, October 10th, 2009
- ^
a
b
Desimone, Mike; Jenssen, Jeff (2012).
Wines of the Southern Hemisphere
. New York: Sterling Epicure. p. 7.
ISBN
9781402786259
.
- ^
Appellation America
"
Charbono
"
Grape profiles. Accessed: April 27th, 2013
- ^
Oz Clarke
Encyclopedia of Grapes
pg 112 Harcourt Books 2001
ISBN
0-15-100714-4
- ^
Vitis International Variety Catalogue
(VIVC)
Douce noir
Archived
2016-03-04 at the
Wayback Machine
Accessed: April 26th, 2013