César (grape)
Encyclopedia
César is an ancient red wine
grape
from northern Burgundy
. It makes dark, tannic wines that are softened by blending with Pinot Noir
and sometimes by carbonic maceration
. It was popular in the 19th century, but it has now been largely replaced by Pinot Noir.
There are small plantings of a "César" grape in Chile and Argentina, but they appear to be a different variety.
legionaries.
However DNA fingerprinting has shown that it is the result of a cross between Pinot Noir and Argant
. Pinot is of course the characteristic grape of Burgundy, although the Jurasiens claim that it came from the Jura. Argant is a Spanish grape that was certainly grown in the Jura in the 19th century. So it's possible that Argant was the grape that the Romans brought from Spain, which then bred with Pinot in Burgundy by accident or design. Alternatively César was born in the Jura and then followed the armies north. Either way, the grape's robust structure and colour are typical of its Spanish heritage.
towards Chablis
in the département of Yonne
. It's best known in the red wines of Irancy
, but may also be blended into rosé
, clairet
and Bourgogne mousseux.
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
from northern Burgundy
Burgundy wine
Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...
. It makes dark, tannic wines that are softened by blending with Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
and sometimes by carbonic maceration
Carbonic maceration
Carbonic maceration is a winemaking technique, often associated with the French wine region of Beaujolais, in which whole grapes are fermented in a carbon dioxide rich environment prior to crushing. Conventional alcoholic fermentation involves crushing the grapes to free the juice and pulp from the...
. It was popular in the 19th century, but it has now been largely replaced by Pinot Noir.
There are small plantings of a "César" grape in Chile and Argentina, but they appear to be a different variety.
History
The name and the alternative of Romain refer to the tradition that César was brought to Burgundy by RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
legionaries.
However DNA fingerprinting has shown that it is the result of a cross between Pinot Noir and Argant
Argant
Argant is an ancient variety of red wine grape. It originated in Spain and may have been taken to eastern France by the Romans. It was briefly popular, but little of it remains today. It used to be common in southwestern Germany and in Austria under the name Gänsfüßer .-History:As the alternative...
. Pinot is of course the characteristic grape of Burgundy, although the Jurasiens claim that it came from the Jura. Argant is a Spanish grape that was certainly grown in the Jura in the 19th century. So it's possible that Argant was the grape that the Romans brought from Spain, which then bred with Pinot in Burgundy by accident or design. Alternatively César was born in the Jura and then followed the armies north. Either way, the grape's robust structure and colour are typical of its Spanish heritage.
Distribution and Wines
Aside from the misidentified vines in South America mentioned above, almost all César is found northwest of DijonDijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
towards Chablis
Chablis
Chablis is a town and commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.It lies in the valley of the River Serein.-Wine:The village of Chablis gives its name to one of the most famous French white wines...
in the département of Yonne
Yonne
Yonne is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture is Auxerre. Its official number is 89....
. It's best known in the red wines of Irancy
Irancy
Irancy is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France. It is located southwest of Chablis in the northernmost part of Burgundy.-Irancy wines:...
, but may also be blended into rosé
Rosé
A rosé is a type of wine that has some of the color typical of a red wine, but only enough to turn it pink. The pink color can range from a pale orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grapes and wine making techniques.- Production techniques :There are three major ways to produce rosé...
, clairet
Clairet
Clairet is a wine that is dark pink in style, and may be described as a full bodied and deep coloured type of rosé. It is considered a specialty of the Bordeaux region and is thought to have originated in Quinsac in Premieres Côtes de Bordeaux...
and Bourgogne mousseux.
Vine and Viticulture
César's Mediterranean origins reveal themselves in its early budding, which makes it very vulnerable to frost in Burgundy. It is also fairly susceptible to mildew.Synonyms
Céear, Céelar, Célar, Gros Monsieur, Gros Noir, Picargneau, Picargniol, Picargniot, Picarniau, Picorneau, Romain, Romano, Ronçain, César Noir, Hureau, LombardSee also
- PinotagePinotagePinotage is a red wine grape that is South Africa's signature variety. It was bred there in 1925 as a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut...
, a South African grape also bred by crossing Pinot with a Mediterranean variety.
Further reading
- Robinson, Jancis Vines, Grapes & Wines Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1857329996