Pink Chardonnay joins Champagne’s list of authorised grape varieties
The natural mutation of Chardonnay Blanc becomes the eighth permitted grape variety in Champagne in what experts are describing as “a small revolution in the vineyard.” Giles Fallowfield reports.
For those of you that think there are only seven authorised grape varieties in Champagne, think again. Pinot Noir, Meunier and Chardonnay, the three most widely planted varieties, plus Arbane, Petit Meslier, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris (also known as Blanc Vrai and Fromenteau, respectively in Champagne) are now officially joined by an eighth approved cépage that can be planted in the shape of Pink Chardonnay, a natural mutation of Chardonnay Blanc.
Writing on her website Sophie Claeys describes this move as “a small heritage revolution in the Champagne vineyards”. Discovered at the beginning of the 20th century and largely forgotten since, Claeys sees this historic recognition as “symbolising the industry’s desire to preserve its heritage while preparing for the future”.
She notes Pink Chardonnay owes its survival to the vigilance and passion of Rémi Couvreur-Périn, who was a leading figure in regional ampelography, and observed its mutation in his vineyard as early as 1900, choosing to preserve it in his personal collection. His work, published in 1926 in Le Vigneron Champenois, constitutes the first written testimony of its existence in the Champagne vineyard.
Preservation effort
To ensure its preservation, Pink Chardonnay was added to the French national grapevine collection, run by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAE) at the Domaine de Vassal in Marseillan-plage, in 1950.
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Planting Pink Chardonnay was not legally allowed under Champagne appellation rules until it joined the ranks of permitted varieties following publication of the decree on 31 July 2025 in the Journal officiel de la République française (JORF), a decision ratified on 5 August 2025. However, it seems it was a variety maintained in some private collections.
Louis Roederer’s head winemaker Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon says there are already “many individual plantings [of this variety] growing here and there in Champagne. It is a mutation of Chardonnay that has almost the same characteristics as that of white Chardonnay. Probably a little more acidic and with a lower pH, but very close to Chardonnay. That is why it made sense for Champagne to add it to the list as the eighth vinifera like we have Pinot Blanc, Noir and Gris.”
Biodiversity hack
“At Roederer, we’ll definitely plant some in our Cumières vineyards where we’ve already planted the seven other [permitted varieties] as a field blend. It will add some resilience and complexity in our Brut Nature,” says Lécaillon. “We’ll also plant some in our collection in Bouleuse [in the Ardre Valley to the west of Reims] next year.
“The thinking behind this move is that “it’s an easy and fast way to add some biodiversity to Champagne grape varieties with no risk of deviations from the typical Champagne character as the mutation happened in Champagne and it is very well adapted in some vineyards.”
The Champagne interprofessional organisation began in-depth work in 2017 for the rehabilitation of Pink Chardonnay, which like white Chardonnay was thought to be a type of Pinot in the early part of the 20th century. It was registered in the Official Catalogue of Vine Varieties, then in the Viti-Vinicultural Classification, essential steps before its definitive integration into the latest Champagne specifications.
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