Chasselas

An old variety, Chasselas is Switzerland’s favorite grape variety, but also widely planted throughout the world, with many variations. In Switzerland it reflects the terroir, with flowery and fair acidity at granite soil, fruity and honeyed at chalk, more weighty and characters at clay. In Dezaley and Vaud it is more mineral.

It is the symbol of Swiss white wine, the most widely planted white variety, with most planted in Vaud, representing 62% of production there and distributed in 6 main regions: Vully, Bonvillars, Cotes-de-l’Orbe, La Cote, Lavaux, and Chablais. Some of the villages and appellations have acquired a local reputation of grand cru, like Dezaley, Epesses. Second most important canton is Valais, giving more powerful, aromatic, sunny Chasselas called Fendant.

Light weight, it is neutral wine, with more acidity in Switzerland than elsewhere. It used to be known more often as Fendant, and only by beginning of 20^th century started using the name Chasselas, with the village name added. In Germany it is known as Gutedel, mostly grown in Baden, with flavors of almond and hay, minerality. In Austria it is more often known as Walscher and Moster.

Its name is derived from the village of Chasselas near Macon in Burgundy, and in France it has been replaced, after phylloxera, to produce table wines for Paris. In Loire the variety is used to make wines denoted as Pouilly-sur-Loire, to avoid confusion with the Sauvignon Blanc Pouilly-Fume.

Best Chasselas came from Crepy in Savoie, similar to the Swiss style but lighter. It is also grown as a table grape, like in Romania. Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Italy and North Africa have all some Chasselas, but in California the Golden Chasselas is most probably Palomino instead. But it is indeed grown there as Chasselas Dore, with some grown in Pagani Vineyard in Sonoma as a varietal.

Most probably originated around Lake Geneva, the grape is mid-budding and early ripening, with moderate to high vigor, also having high yield but prone to coulure and millerandage. The berries are large and thin-skinned, often having premature shriveling.

Best producers: Serge Dagueneau, Kientzler, and Schoffit (France); J & P Testuz, Robert Gilliard (Switzerland), Ziereisen, Lammlin-Schindler and Dorflinger (Germany).