The Drinks Business reports that a 600-year-old grape seed found in a 15th-century hospital latrine in Valenciennes has been identified as genetically identical to modern Pinot Noir, with the underlying Nature Communications study describing it as evidence of clonal continuity over nearly 600 years. The finding strengthens the case that Pinot Noir was already being cultivated in France in the 1400s and adds to broader evidence that sophisticated vine propagation techniques were in use much earlier than many non-specialists might assume.