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History
A hot-climate variety native to the Mediterranean basin, Clairette was once widely planted throughout southeastern France.
Growing
Suited to hot, arid conditions and poor, dry soils, it is a late-ripening vine with fragile, thin skinned berries highly susceptible to rot and a tendency to coulure, or the failure of the vine flowers to remain on the vine long enough to develop into berries.
Clairette presents a different set of problems in the cellar. High in alcohol, low in acid and notoriously prone to oxidation, it easily yields heavy, clumsy, dangerously short-lived wines. As Jancis Robinson, M.W., has noted, “Overweight and therefore tires easily.” For these reasons, it has lost much ground to more balanced, conciliatory vines in all but a few appellations in the Languedoc-Roussillon.
As a single varietal, it produces Clairette de Bellegarde and Clairette du Languedoc, and careful vinification results in light, fruity, floral, fleeting wines. Its best representation is considered to be in sparkling Clairette de Die, in which it is blended with Muscat à Petits Grains. Otherwise, it makes a minor appearance in various blends including Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Tavel Rosé, Côtes-du-Rhône, Lirac and Blanquette de Limoux.
In the mid 1900s, Clairette enjoyed some popularity in South Africa as ballast for sparkling wines but was never planted widely. It appeared more or less concurrently in Australia’s Hunter Valley. Also planted in Sardinia, Algeria and Israel.
Alternate Names
Clairette Blanche, Blanquette
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