The Négrette Grape

(Synonyms: Cap de More, Dégoûtant, Morelet, Morillon, Mourrelet, Négralet, Négret, Négret de Gaillac, Négret du Tarn, Négrette de Fronton, Noirien, Pinot St George, Vesparo Noir.)

Background

Négrette is a red-wine grape whose origins are clouded by time, but which has been cultivated in the Gaillac region of France since (as Jancis Robinson puts it) time immemorial. It is nowadays cultivated in southwestern France, notably around the town of Fronton, which gives its name to the Fronton appellation. In that region, Négrette must be at least 50% of a grower’s vineyard. The variety is rarely seen outside its AOP, save for some in San Benito County, California (where it was long known as Pinot St George).

Words that tend to crop up in describing Négrette wines are supple and perfumed. Many sources say that the wines should be drunk young, but others say that they can take at least some bottle age. Ya pays yer money an’ ya takes yer chances.

Négrette wines are normally quite deep in color. Their “perfume” seems, by report, to be very much of violets, but with all sorts of other interesting spice/herb aromas, and tastes. While Négrette is often used in blends, most reviewers seem firm on the point that its distinctive qualities get rapidly submerged by almost any blend partner, so monovarietal Négrettes are the ones to cherish. The wines are generally low in tannins and acidity, leading to that oft-mentioned “supple” or “silky” quality so much associated with the variety.

Factoid: Négrette is—with tedious regularity—said to have been brought to Europe from Cyprus by the Knights Templar. Maybe so, but there’s no evidence for it.

Some Descriptions of Négrette Wines

Wikipedia
“Négrette is a dark red wine grape grown primarily in South West France in the region between Albi and Toulouse…Wine made from this grape tends to show versatility in being able to age moderately well and also be drunk young.”
Wine Searcher
“Negrette reds are soft, silky and perfumed, with…distinctive violet [aromas], along with certain animal and undergrowth flavors. Negrette wines are deeply pigmented and relatively low in tannins and acidity…”Unfortunately, much of the Negrette identity is lost if too-high a proportion of another variety is added…as its subtlety and suppleness are overpowered. For this reason, single-varietal wines are also popular, exhibiting Negrette’s true character.
World’s Best Wines
“The red wine that is made from Négrette can be termed as a versatile wine as it shows versatility in its character. The first one to mention here is that this wine has a capability to age moderately nice but, it also tastes fabulous when young. The characters of the wine are fine while the wine is young and also while it ages. The pigment of the wine is quite deep. It has low amount of tannins as well as acidity…The reds are…soft and silky. They have an excellent perfume. They possess the similar violet aroma that the roses possess, but they have a typical animal and undergrowth flavour.”
Vino Vidi
“The wines produced with the Négrette grape variety are characterized by vivid colours and a low acidity and tannin content…Wines made from this grape tend to show versatility, because they are able to age moderately well and can also be drunk young.”
Wine, Wit, and Wisdom
“Négrette has a very distinct character and profile, featuring aromas of anise and red fruit…On the palate, the wines can show strong dark and dried fruit flavors with very little tannins, lending the wine a pronounced suppleness. Winemakers making blends based on Négrette have to blend carefully with other grapes, as the delicate characteristics of the grape can be easily overpowered by more tannic varieties.”
Winegeeks
“Perfumed, leathery and fruity all at once it is said that the Negrette is best consumed young.”

Some Négrettes to Try

As is too often the case, we have a delightful wine variety that, because it is not well known in the U.S., is hard to find at decent pricing and availability. In fact, we could only find a couple of Négrettes under $20 (and not much over it).

For a Splurge

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This page was last modified on Saturday, 30 October 2021, at 11:26 pm Pacific Time.

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