white grape · near-extinct
Arbane
Côte des Bar (Aube), Champagne, France
Say it
ar·bahn
Terminal 'e' in alternate spelling Arbanne is silent; stress falls on second syllable
On the palate
white peachgreen applequincelemonhoneysucklehoney
How you spot it blind: searing acidity with delicate hawthorn florals; last grape harvested in Champagne
The story
First written down · 1388, Aube, France (as 'Albane', disputed); reliably 1801
Reduced to 1.1 ha by 2000, Arbane survives largely through Lucien Moutard's 1952 replanting of vines from his grandfather's nursery stock in Buxeuil.
Where it lives
Côte des Bar, Champagne, France
Shows up as
sparklingChampagne