Molette

Identity

Molette is the second grape of Seyssel, a small Savoyard appellation on both banks of the Rhône, where it accompanies Altesse.

It has something rare in this corpus: one of its aroma notes is sourced, and not by Pl@ntGrape. It is INAO's product page for Seyssel that records "notes of tropical fruit" in its wines.

Almost every entry in this pass has had to label its descriptors as tasting readings, for want of a source that names any. This one quotes.

In the vineyard

Pl@ntGrape calls it "a vigorous variety with a fairly upright habit", with medium fertility.

Its phenology is not filled in: neither bud burst nor ripeness appears in what the source gives for it. The fields stay empty, meaning "not established" and not "medium".

In the glass

Pl@ntGrape credits it with pale wines, fairly alcoholic and acidic, but relatively neutral.

And here the two sources must be read together, because they do not quite say the same thing. Pl@ntGrape judges the variety rather neutral; Seyssel's product page describes tropical-fruit notes in the appellation's wines.

Both can be true. A neutral variety vinified in a given place, with given yeasts and temperatures, can produce aromas the variety does not itself carry — which is exactly what this corpus's article on rosé winemaking describes, where the "fermentative" profile comes from the handling and not from the fruit.

This entry keeps passion fruit, because it is sourced, while noting where it comes from.

Where it is named

At Seyssel, a white-wine variety alongside Altesse.

It is the only published appellation in this corpus to cite it, and the link between the two is close: Seyssel is among the smallest appellations in Savoie, and Molette has little existence elsewhere.

What this entry does not say

Its parentage, undocumented. Its phenology. And its exact role in Seyssel's sparkling wines, for which the appellation is best known — no source opened here states the share it takes there.