Ampelographers believe that Len de l'El is native to Gaillac region of Southwest France where it has had a long history of wine production.
Even as the 20th century saw the introduction of new grape varieties and a push towards more international and marketable varieties, strong regional attachment to the variety has kept the grape from falling into obscurity.
Like the Manseng family of grapes in the Jurançon, growers in the Gaillac region used the codification of wine laws for the Appellation d'origine contrôlée in 1938 to dictate a minimum usage of Len de l'El for all white blends produced in the area—thus sustaining its presence.
While the laws were later amended in the 21st century to allow the substitution of Sauvignon blanc, the effects of the initial mandate for Len de l'El's use helped maintain the variety's presence in the region.

It is widely accepted that the name Len de l'El comes from the Toulouse Occitan dialect.
Incidentally, it is phonetically similar to the French translation loin de l'œil meaning "far from the eye" with the synonym sometimes still seen on wine labels along with other alternative spellings.
Wine expert Oz Clarke explains that the name refers to the position of the fruit in respect to the bud : the clustered grapes have long stalks that attach to the fruiting cane at a distance that is farther from the bud (or "eye", oeil in French) than most grape varieties.
This explanation is supported by Gaillac wine growers and at least one French ampelography authority as well.
Ampelographers believe that Len de l'El is native to Gaillac region of Southwest France where it has had a long history of wine production. Even as the 20th century saw the introduction of new grape varieties and a push towards more international and marketable varieties, strong regional attachment to the variety has kept the grape from falling into obscurity. Like the Manseng family of grapes in the Jurançon, growers in the Gaillac region used the codification of wine laws for the Appellation d'origine contrôlée in 1938 to dictate a minimum usage of Len de l'El for all white blends produced in the area—thus sustaining its presence. While the laws were later amended in the 21st century to allow the substitution of Sauvignon blanc, the effects of the initial mandate for Len de l'El's use helped maintain the variety's presence in the region.
It is widely accepted that the name Len de l'El comes from the Toulouse Occitan dialect. Incidentally, it is phonetically similar to the French translation loin de l'œil meaning "far from the eye" with the synonym sometimes still seen on wine labels along with other alternative spellings. Wine expert Oz Clarke explains that the name refers to the position of the fruit in respect to the bud : the clustered grapes have long stalks that attach to the fruiting cane at a distance that is farther from the bud (or "eye", oeil in French) than most grape varieties. This explanation is supported by Gaillac wine growers and at least one French ampelography authority as well.
Len de l'El