red grape · regional specialty
Mondeuse
Savoie, France
Say it
mohn·duhz
The 'on' is a nasalized vowel, not 'awn'; 'deuse' uses the French 'eu' — midway between 'uh' and 'oo', closing on a soft z.
On the palate
black cherryred plumblackberryvioletblack pepperearth
How you spot it blind: piercing black pepper and bitter-cherry tang on a high-acid spine
The story
First written down · 1731, Besançon, France (under synonym Maldoux)
DNA analysis confirmed a parent-offspring relationship with Mondeuse Blanche, making Mondeuse Noire either a half-sibling or grandparent of Syrah, and separately disproved the long-assumed synonym overlap with Italian Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso.
Family tree: Mondeuse blanche (parent-offspring; direction uncertain)
Where it lives
Savoie, France · Bugey, France · Vaud and Valais, Switzerland
Shows up as
still redVin de SavoieBugey AOC
If you like this, try
Also answers to Mondeuse Noire.
Shop our Mondeuse bottles