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Pinot Noir DNA found in 15th-century Valenciennes pit
A study published in Nature Communications sequenced 54 ancient grape seeds and identified a 15th-century Valenciennes seed as genetically identical to modern Pinot Noir, showing long-term clonal stability and Mediterranean exchange of cultivated varieties.
Mar 25th 2026 · France
Insights
- Scientists sequenced genomes from 54 grape seeds dated from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages.
- A 15th-century seed from a Valenciennes rubbish pit matches modern Pinot Noir, though researchers cannot tell if it was eaten or fermented.
- Pinot Noir shows little genetic change over about 600 years because of clonal propagation.
- Vegetative propagation appears from the middle of the Iron Age and persisted across sites and centuries.
- Ancient DNA reveals long-distance transfers of domesticated grapes across the Mediterranean from Spain, the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East.
Sources
- Pinot noir’s popularity has Medieval roots www.scientificamerican.com
- 600-year-old pinot noir grape seed found in medieval hospital www.cbsnews.com
- "Joan of Arc was able to bite into the same grape as us": Pinot Noir already existed in the Middle Ages www.euronews.com