Auxerrois blanc

Did You Know?

• Auxerrois blanc is thought to have originated in Lorraine, rather than near Auxerre in the Yonne.
• DNA fingerprinting suggests it is a cross between Gouais blanc and Pinon, the same ancestry as Chardonnay.
• The name Auxerrois blanc has been used as a synonym for Chardonnay in the Moselle region in France.

Distribution and Wines

Auxerrois blanc is not widely found across the Americas, though it does see some cultivation in North America and South Africa. In France, the grape covers 1,950 hectares, with the vast majority planted in Alsace and a smaller amount in the Côtes de Toul region of Lorraine. Most of this fruit goes into wines labeled as Pinot blanc, which can actually be a blend of Auxerrois blanc, true Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, and white-wine-style Pinot noir. It also plays a key role in Crémant d’Alsace. In Germany and Luxembourg, the grape goes by the name Auxerrois. Germany had 218 hectares of it in 2012, mostly in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate (135 hectares) and Baden-Württemberg (72 hectares), with the main growing areas being the Baden wine region (71 hectares) and the Palatinate wine region (69 hectares).

Oregon is home to just six vineyards known to grow Auxerrois blanc: Bjornson Vineyard, Zenith Vineyard, Russell-Grooters Vineyard on Savannah Ridge (Carlton Cellars), Sunnyside Vineyard, and Havlin Vineyard. David Adelsheim helped bring the grape to Oregon in the 1990s, but he later replanted the historic vineyard that provided cuttings for some current plantings, including those at Bjornson Vineyard. In Michigan, Chateau Fontaine and Boathouse Vineyards grow Auxerrois on the Leelanau Peninsula. Bel Lago Vineyards and Winery, also on the Leelanau Peninsula, first introduced the grape to Michigan in 1987. Free Run Cellars in Berrien County, in southwest Michigan, began producing it in 2018. Island View Orchard planted Auxerrois on the Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City in 2016, with the wine made at Left Foot Charley. Hidden Arbor Farm in Beulah, Benzie County, in northwest Michigan, planted it in 2019. In New York, Heart & Hands Vineyard on the east side of Cayuga Lake in Union Springs started growing Auxerrois in 2015 and released its first vintage in 2019.

Synonyms

Auxerrois blanc is known under many synonyms, including Arboisier, Arnaison blanc, Arnoison, Aubaine, Auvergnat blanc, Auvernas blanc, Auvernat blanc, Auxois blanc, Bargeois blanc, Beaunois, Blanc De Champagne, Breisgauer Sussling, Burgundi Feher, Chablis, Chardennet, Chardonnay blanc, Chatey Petit, Chaudenet, Claevner, Clevner Weiss, Epinette blanche, Epinette De Champagne, Ericey blanc, Feher Chardonnay, Feherburgundi, Feinburgunder, Gamay blanc, Gelber Weissburgunder, Gentil blanc, Grosse Bourgogne, Klawner, Klevanjka Biela, Lisant, Luisant, Luizannais, Luizant, Luzannois, Maconnais, Maurillon blanc, Melon blanc, Melon D'Arbois, Moreau blanc, Morillon blanc, Moulon, Noirien blanc, Petit Chatey, Petit Sainte-marie, Pino Shardone, Pinot Blanc A Cramant, Pinot Blanc Chardonnay, Pinot Chardonnay, Plant De Tonnerre, Romere, Romeret, Rouci Bile, Rousseau, Roussot, Rulander Weiss, Sainte Marie Petite, Sardone, Shardone, Weiss Silber, Weissedler, Auxerrois blanc de Laquenexy, and Auxerrois de Laquenexy.