Thursday, January 10, 2019

Tasting our 2018 Auxerrois

We made our first 100% Auxerrois this past year. We harvested the Auxerrois on September 17, 2018. The Auxerrois came in at 18o Brix, pH 3.4 and titratable acids of 6.7 g/L. After cold settling the extracted juice, fermentation commenced on September 21, using QA23. We bottled the wine on October 11, 2018 and ended up with 1 case of 750 mL and 2 cases of 375 mL in hock bottles.
We have taken our Auxerrois to 2 tastings now, one at Paumanok and one last night at the home of our friends. The mention of Auxerrois leads to puzzled looks as this grape is not at all at the tip of anyone's tongue. As far as we know, there are only 2 growers of Auxerrois that we know of in the United States whose wines we have tasted:
So, what exactly is Auxerrois. Well, it is a grape grown in the Alsace-Lorraine region, sitting on the border between France and Germany. And, before we go any further, just how is it pronounced? Wine for Normal People says Auxerrois is prounced (oh-sehr-WAH).1 It is an early ripening grape.
Studies reported in 1999 by Carole Meredith and John Bowers revealed that there is a Genetic Relationship Between Auxerrois and Chardonnay, both offspring of a cross between Pinot Noir and Gouais Blanc.2
One of the finest expressions of Auxerrois that we have tasted is the 2008 Josmeyer Pinot Auxerrois, from Alsace.
Our 2018 Auxerrois was pale yellow in color and tasted like stone fruit, white peach, pears, with a nice touch of acidity, if I don't say so myself.
Reference:
1. Wine for Normal People, A Confusing But Refreshing Wine: Auxerrois From ALsace, FRANCE, July 21, 2012.
2. Bowers, J., Boursiquot, J.M., This, P., Chu, K., Johansson, H., & Meredith, C, 1999, Historical Genetics: The Parentage of Chardonnay, Gamay, and Other Wine Grapes of Northeastern France, Science: 285, pp 1562 - 1565.

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