Dr. Carole Meredith of Cal Davis gives us this fascinating information, in a recent interview on saintsbury.com:
Pinot noir was developed by Celts/Gauls, from just one or two generations of wild grapes, in either SW Germany or eastern France. It was being grown in Burgundy when the Romans got there about 2080 years ago, and was at that time already recognized as a noble grape.
Chardonnay was not written about as a distinct variety until the 1300's and as the Pinot grouping (noir, blanc, gris, meunier) is one of its parents, it must be younger than Pinot noir. Chard's other parent is Gouais blanc, which may be the grape brought to the Gauls by the Emperor Probus in the 3rd Century, from Central Europe. Thus, Chardonnay was definitely developed (perhaps, at that time, it developed naturally, rather than being hybridized) in Burgundy.
When DNA scientists gets together with historians and archeologists, all kinds of cool things happen.
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