red grape · rare
Pinot Madeleine
France or Germany (disputed)
Say it
pee·nohmad·uh·len
Madeleine refers to Mary Magdalene's feast day (July 22), around which this grape traditionally ripens; German synonym Frühburgunder = FROO-boor-goon-der
On the palate
strawberryraspberryred cherryrosedried herbsforest floor
How you spot it blind: ripens two weeks before Pinot Noir, explaining every name it carries
The story
First written down · 1824, Germany (as Frühburgunder)
A spontaneous early-ripening mutation of Pinot Noir, nearly extinct in Germany by the 1960s (~15 ha), revived by Ahr growers on steep slate slopes to ~217 ha in Germany by 2023.
Where it lives
Ahr, Germany · Rheinhessen, Germany · Palatinate, Germany · Franken, Germany
Shows up as
still red
If you like this, try
Also answers to Madeleine Noir.
Shop our Pinot Madeleine bottles