Pinot Gris

What it is

Pinot Gris in Champagne is usually called Fromenteau, sometimes Enfumé (“smoked”). Like Pinot Blanc, it is a natural mutation of Pinot Noir, not a separate species. At full ripeness the berries show grey-pink to light-brown skins. Two-thirds of the Pinot family share near-identical DNA: colour is essentially what separates them.

History and today

Around 1750, more than half of Champagne’s plantings were Pinot Gris. Phylloxera and the replanting that followed in the late nineteenth century pushed it almost completely out. Today it covers less than 0.3 percent of the area. Drappier (Aube) has about 6 percent Fromenteau on its own estate, high for the region, and bottles it as a 100 percent Fromenteau cuvée called “Trop m’en Faut!” (the grape name doesn’t appear on the label; AOC rules forbid it).

Where it grows

Almost exclusively in the Aube/Côte des Bar. Smaller plots also at Laherte Frères’ Les 7 plot (10 percent Fromenteau in the cuvée of the same name) and at a few other growers. Banned for new plantings from 1938, re-authorised in 2000.

Ripening and risk

Early ripening. Historically an advantage in cool Champagne: a reliable harvest before autumn. In today’s warmer climate that turns: early ripening can mean over-ripeness and low acidity. Pinot Gris has lower natural acidity than Chardonnay or Petit Meslier, making it less climate-resilient than its rare companions.

In the glass

Full body, waxy texture. Smoky notes (hence Enfumé), mirabelle plum, yellow stone fruit, occasionally a hint of guava. Low to moderate acidity gives a rounder palate than Champagne’s other white grapes. Sometimes a faintly oxidative edge with age.

Role in the blend

Small percentage in sept-cépages cuvées. Mono-varietal at Drappier (Trop m’en Faut!, 5,500 bottles per year). The grape adds body and smoky complexity to blends but is rarely used in large proportions by the big houses.