Can anyone give me the history / low-down on Cole De Dame Grise and the other Cole De Dames...

How were they named?  
Country of Origin?  
Differences between?
Similarities with other varieties?

I am sure this was touched on in here before, but sometimes its just easier to start a new thread - :)

They come from Southern France (Roussillon/Mediterranean coast) and from coastal Catalunia in Spain, as well as Mallorca. Gris came from Baud's nursery, they are practically the only source for the original, which has spread like fire among North American collectors since it is the most cold hardy and a strong rooter and grower. They all taste similar. Check out one of the Pons threads to see the whole family. Use the search box. Name means "neck of the lady" probably refers to the thick neck near the stem.

Check out Herman2's threads on how the blanc, gris and noir versions do for him in NJ.  As Rafael noted the gris is probably the most desirable of the three but they are all late ripening and need an ample amount of sun and heat to be good.  There are a few other Col de Dame variants, most notably Col de Dame Blanca-Negra from the Pons collection.  This one is supposed to have both light and dark fruits on the same plant and is supposed to ripen a bit earlier than blanc, gris and noir.  It is not clear how the flavor is compared to the others.  Hopefully we will hear reports on how this one does in north america within the next couple years.

I've read that Gris is the least affected by FMV, making it a better choice for northern growers.

Kelby it is an interesting question, the Gris is not part of the UC Davis collection, so theoretically it will not have "California fmv." So it is important to know if your CdD Noir or Blanc is sourced out of the UC Davis Germplasm. On the other hand, the mediterrenean is not considered fmv-free, so it is not guaranteed that a CdD from Baud or Pons is free of fmv. But chances are it will not be the same or as bad as UC Davis origin plants.

Another question is the vigor of the CdD cultivar in general. Many members have very productive plants regardless of the origin so my impression is that CdD is fairly productive even with fmv. But yes, the Gris is a step above her cousins in terms of strength, vigor and cold hardiness.

My most vigorus cutting is CDDG and this is saying a lot! It is waaaaaay ahead of everything I even won't be surprised if it ripens a fig!

So what is so great about the Col De Dames? (or specifically Gris).

They are cold hardy apparently, but then also take a long time to ripen?

Why are the viewed as so desirable?

Are there other varieties of figs that they are similar too?

Ronde de Bordeax got a lot of press for being cold hardy and excellent flavor.
Same with Violette - 

What would make someone choose a Col De Dame Gris over a Ronde de Bordeaux or Violette?

I guess the question is, what is the characteristic of Col de Dame Gris that makes it a stand out.  (I am hearing cold hardy, as many others are,...but then it also has a long ripening season...)

All of the above +,Resist rain while ripening,way better than most others,included ,Ronde or Violette.
Also,They are not late ripening, on east coast,if you plant them in a totally ,full sun position,or grow in pot again,in totally full sun position.
In full sun they will start getting ripe on September 10.
Now ,there are some requirements to get ripe fruits early on late cultivars:
If in pot,grow the plant in one trunk type only and pinch after 5fth leaf.
If in ground leave three trunks or less coming from ground,remove all others,and also pinch tips after fifth leaf.
If you leave a multitude of trunks ,they will shade one another and no ripe fruits will be thy results,on September 10,and then you will also call me a lair, LOL!

Vasile, thanks for that information about getting late season figs to produce fruit earlier.  As you suggest, I try to leave three trunks for in-ground figs that tend to ripen late.  However, as you know, there is a tendency for suckers to form and branching low to the ground.  I remove the suckers but am not sure how high up the trunks to remove the branches.  Many figs will send out thick lateral branches of of the main trunks just a few inches off the ground.  So I am wondering whether or not to remove these.  I suppose the overall goal is not to have have a lot of branches that shade each other, however that can be achieved.

Steve:It is up to you how to keep it  pruned and thinned,at your location.
If I was you in MD,I would be worry and do an extra thinning ,of branches,if fruits on Col de Dame did not start ripening on September 10.
Best Regards

Hi Rewton,
You, guys, must have a really different climate than mine or good greenhouses .
Even early ripening strains do not ripen as of 10th September but rather 30th September . Most do ripen around 15th October .
Late ripening cultivars, do not ripen ... most of the years .
Do you have "Dalmatie" . My bigger (5 years in ground) one was able to ripen all the main crop this year -some 100 figs - and the figs were located from 40 cm ( 1' ) of height up to 2 meters ( 7') .
Some weeks were rainy, and of course the figs near the dirt were protected from the upper leaves, and they did not sour like the ones high in the canopy ...
So leaving some fruiting branches low is not a bad option IMO .
I'll see this coming year if that tree performs so well.

CdD Noir is not at Wolfskill (USDA) but is a vigorous grower for me.  My Blanc sourced from USDA is the least vigorous but produced lots of excellent fruits for me last year and I am happy to have it.  I should harvest my first Gris this year.