The white grape variety comes from France. It is named after a community south of Reims in the Champagne region. Synonyms are Aligote Vert, Blanc Vert, Fairene, Farine, Farinier Blanc, Ferne, Fernet, Ferney, Gros Blanc, Menu Blanc, Pivoine, Plant d'Essert, Plant de Sacy, Sassy, Souche, Tresalier, Tres Sailier, Tressailier, Tressalier, Trezaguier, Trezailhi, Trezali, Trezari and Weißklemmer. It must not be confused with the Aligoté, Chardonnay, Gros Blanc or Peurion (Menu Blanc) varieties, despite the fact that synonyms or morphological similarities appear to indicate this. According to DNA analyses carried out in 2013, it is one of the many natural crosses between White Heunisch(Gouais Blanc) x Pinot. According to an earlier hypothesis, it was introduced from Italy to France as early as the 13th century by Cistercian monks from the Abbey of Reigny in the department of Cher. But this is now refuted by the clarified ancestry.
The picture on the right is from the work "Ampélographie - Traité général de viticulture" by Victor Vermorel and Pierre Viala. The early ripening, high-yielding vine produces acidic, light-coloured white wines with low alcohol content and pear aroma, which are suitable for sparkling wines. First mentioned in 1782 under the name Plant de Sacy, this variety was once widely grown in the north-eastern department of Yonne(Burgundy). It is now registered in the appellations Crémant de Bourgogne (Burgundy) and under the name Tressalier in Saint-Pourçain (Loire). The area under cultivation in 2010 was only eight hectares, with a sharp downward trend. At the end of the 1950s, it was still 650 hectares (Kym Anderson).
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Grape variety and leaf: pictures: Pl@ntGrape, INRA/IFV/Montpellier SupAgro 2009-2011
Graphics: Par Viala et Vermorel - Ampélography, Domain public, Link
