Grape Guide
Counoise
RedCounoise is an old dark-skinned variety of the southern Rhône and Provence, valued less for colour than for peppery lift and acidity in red and rosé blends. It is one of the thirteen traditional varieties of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where Château de Beaucastel gives it a prominent role, and it has been carried to Paso Robles, Washington State and Australia.
Key Characteristics
- Late ripening, behind Syrah and Cinsault, with only moderate sugar accumulation
- Semi-erect, vigorous vine, usually pruned short or trained as a bush vine
- Large berries with thin skins, giving pale to medium colour and soft tannins
- Low sensitivity to downy and powdery mildew, but more exposed to grey rot
- Good drought tolerance; suited to hot, stony slopes
Typical Flavors
Major Regions
Châteauneuf-du-Pape · Côtes du Rhône Villages · Gigondas · Lirac · Ventoux · Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence · Paso Robles (California)
Also Known As
Coneze · Connoges · Connoise · Counèse · Counoïse · Counoïso · Guénoise · Quenoise (Vaucluse) · Rivier (Ardèche)
Overview
Counoise makes light, aromatic red wine with moderate alcohol, fine tannins and notably fresh acidity. Colour runs from pale to medium purple-red, and the usual aromatic signature is white pepper over red and blue fruit, with anise, briar and a floral edge. Because the wine lacks depth of colour and grip, and can oxidise readily, it is far more often a blending partner than a stand-alone bottling, adding spice and lift to Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Its role is clearest at Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where it makes up roughly a tenth of the red blend, although across the whole appellation it covered only about 0.5% of vineyard area in 2004. Varietal wines do exist, notably in Paso Robles and Washington State, and they are generally made for drinking within two to four years rather than for long cellaring.
Origins & History
Counoise is an old variety of the lower Rhône valley, centred on the Vaucluse. The earliest known mention dates from 1626, in a list of vine varieties grown around Avignon. The origin of its name is uncertain, and it has been written in many spellings over the centuries. A local tradition holds that a papal vice-legate named Counesa brought the vine from Spain for Pope Urban V during the Avignon papacy, but no documentary evidence supports this account. Ampelographically Counoise belongs to the Piquepoul group, which also includes Aubun. The two were long confused in the vineyard and were often interplanted, but both ampelography and DNA profiling show they are distinct varieties. Aubun is the plainer of the pair. No parentage has been established for Counoise. Plantings in France peaked at roughly 885 ha in 1988 and fell to about 300 ha by the late 2010s. Its export began with the Perrin family, who brought cuttings from Beaucastel to Tablas Creek in Paso Robles in 1990; the material spent three years in USDA quarantine before propagation, making Tablas Creek the first New World planter. Washington State followed, with Morrison planting it in 1999.
Viticultural Characteristics
Counoise is vigorous with a semi-erect habit, and is best pruned short or trained as a bush vine. Budburst comes about twelve days after Chasselas, and ripening is late, behind Syrah and Cinsault but ahead of Mourvèdre in the warm sites where it is grown. Sugar accumulates only moderately, which helps keep alcohol in check. Berries are large and thin-skinned. Coulure is rarely a problem, and yields of roughly 30 to 50 hl/ha are reported depending on soil and site. The variety shows good tolerance of drought and does best on hot, stony slopes. Sensitivity to downy and powdery mildew is low, but the large berries leave it more vulnerable to grey rot. Two clones, numbers 508 and 725, are approved in France.
Wine Styles & Characteristics
Most Counoise goes into blends. In red Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes du Rhône-style wines it contributes peppery spice, freshness and a lighter fruit register to counter the weight of Grenache and the depth of Syrah and Mourvèdre. It is also used in rosé, where its acidity and red-berry character are an asset. Varietal bottlings are light purple-red, with briary, spicy fruit showing strawberry, blueberry and anise, soft tannins and the highest acidity of the Rhône reds at Tablas Creek. They are usually fermented in closed vessels and aged in large old wood, since the variety oxidises easily and does not benefit from new oak. Made this way the wines are best drunk young, within a few years of the harvest, and suit slight chilling and charcuterie or roast poultry.