Côtes de Montravel

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The geological substratum reflects the extent of the Stampian sea, with an 'astéries' limestone deposited over the western part and a more clayey facies to the east.
• The delimited parcel area classifies four main soil types according to their substratum: clay-siliceous over the molasse, clay-calcareous over the astéries limestone, acidic clay-silt-sandy over the Périgord sands and gravels, and sandy-clayey in the valley.
• The resumption of erosion during the Quaternary gave rise to gravelly terraces in the Dordogne valley, corresponding to alluvial deposits of well-draining sandy and clayey gravels.
• The geographic area forms a unique territory in the Bergerac region, with a relatively narrow tabular relief framed by the valleys of the Lidoire and the Dordogne, bounded to the north by the Landais forest massif.
• Situated roughly one hundred kilometres as the crow flies from the Atlantic Ocean, the area fully benefits from an oceanic climate whose mild spring and autumn temperatures result in early budburst and late leaf fall.

• A privilege of free entry to Bordeaux, secured after the Archbishop of Bordeaux acquired the lordship in 1307, enabled Montravel wines to be shipped to England and Holland.
• The Bergerac tribunal settled a dispute in 1922 by reserving the appellation Côtes-de-Montravel for the communes on the right bank of the Estrop and Haut-Montravel for those on the left bank.
• Production, which peaked at 20,000 hectolitres in the 1950s and 1960s, fell to an average of 2,000 hectolitres during the decade 2000–2010.

• The white wines are generally medium-sweet, sometimes sweet, elegant and refined, supple, with a presence of fermentable sugars that never masks a fine underlying freshness.
• A fermentable sugar content of between 25 and 54 grams per litre affirms the sweetness of these wines, which display both velvety texture and unctuousness.

• Rigorous management of planting density and low crop weight ensures sufficient and early ripeness, allowing good concentration of the grapes, particularly for Sémillon.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF)
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — IVBD — Vins de Bergerac & Duras