The white grape variety originates from France. It shows only minor morphological differences compared to Chardonnay in leaves and shoots, but possesses an identical DNA profile. Morillon can be referred to as a variety or clone of Chardonnay. In the VIVC catalog, it is listed as an independent variety with the synonyms Alp Raisin and Raisin d’Alep. In the Austrian Styria, Chardonnay is traditionally referred to as Morillon and is still partly considered an independent variety there. However, both designations are also used by some producers to document a difference from a qualitatively "better" wine, which is then referred to as Chardonnay. In the other Austrian federal states, the name Morillon does not play a role.
Often, a journey of Styrian winemakers to France is recounted on the occasion of the phylloxera catastrophe at the end of the 19th century, who were searching for phylloxera-resistant varieties and returned with Morillon. Aside from the fact that Morillon is not phylloxera-resistant at all, such a journey is not confirmed. According to Hermann Goethe (1837-1911), the name Morillon Blanc for Chardonnay was already used long before the phylloxera invasion in Styria. In the 19th century, Morillon (like Pinot Blanc) was also referred to as Weißer Klevner in Styria. And Pinot Blanc was previously mistakenly equated with Chardonnay in Austria.
The confusion is compounded by the fact that there are many varieties with the name part Morillon. There is a simple explanation for the frequent use of "Morillon" for partly unrelated grape varieties. The syllable "Mor" or "Maur" is derived from the dark-skinned Moors (Berber tribes) from North Africa, who operated in southern France and Iberia until the 12th century, and indicates dark grapes. The syllable "illon" stands for a "diminutive" and refers to "small berries". Thus, the name Morillon means nothing other than "Little Black" or "Little Moor". Confusingly, it is also used for white grape varieties.
Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI)
