red grape · rare
Abouriou
Lot-et-Garonne, France
Say it
ah·boo·ryoo
French uvular R rendered as English R; name derives from Occitan 'aboriu' meaning early, referring to early ripening
On the palate
blackberryblack cherryblack plumblack pepperearthsmoke
How you spot it blind: Inky depth and heavy tannin with low acidity despite early ripening
The story
First written down · 1882, Lot-et-Garonne, France
2009 DNA testing revealed a parent-offspring relationship between Abouriou and Magdeleine Noire des Charentes — possibly making Abouriou a grandparent of both Merlot and Malbec — though the direction of the relationship remains unresolved.
Where it lives
Côtes du Marmandais, France · Loire-Atlantique, France
Shows up as
still redrosé