noble rot
noun
: a botrytis fungus (Botrytis cinerea) that infects various usually overripe wine grapes causing shriveling which results in increased sugar and flavor content and is responsible for the characteristic flavor of sauternes and related wines
Examples of noble rot in a Sentence
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Morning fog and ideal temperatures moderated by the region’s two rivers create the perfect condition to allow noble rot or botrytis to form and concentrate the grape’s sugars.
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Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2024
Sauternes This is a sweet wine made from noble rot in France’s Bordeaux region.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2024
Tokaj Aszú is made from grapes affected by noble rot.
—Per and Britt Karlsson, Forbes, 24 June 2022
While today the wine is produced in more traditional methods, at the time noble rot was believed impossible in the Napa Valley — making the Nightingale wine a celebrated anomaly.
—Bryce Wiatrak, SFChronicle.com, 12 Apr. 2018
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Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 6 Dec. 2024
Sauternes This is a sweet wine made from noble rot in France’s Bordeaux region.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2024
Tokaj Aszú is made from grapes affected by noble rot.
—Per and Britt Karlsson, Forbes, 24 June 2022
While today the wine is produced in more traditional methods, at the time noble rot was believed impossible in the Napa Valley — making the Nightingale wine a celebrated anomaly.
—Bryce Wiatrak, SFChronicle.com, 12 Apr. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Noble rot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/noble%20rot. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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