Estaing

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The geological substratum is composed of Permian sandstones of a red-violet colour due to their high iron-oxide content, known locally as "rougiers", along with Secondary-era limestones and metamorphic schists.
• The soils developed on this substratum are generally rich in stony debris, shallow, and of low fertility.
• The mountain vineyard is spread across altitudes of between 350 and 500 metres, on plots situated on the slopes of well-exposed valleys and planted mainly on terraces known locally as "bancas".
• Traditionally, south-facing slopes are reserved for the vine, while north-facing slopes are devoted to chestnut groves and woodland.
• The climate is subject to multiple continental, oceanic, and Mediterranean influences, with harsh winters, rainy springs, hot and dry summers, and annual rainfall of between 850 and 1,000 millimetres.

• The vineyard developed thanks to religious communities and to the Via Podensis linking Le Puy-en-Velay to Santiago de Compostela, reaching its peak towards the end of the nineteenth century.
• After the phylloxera crisis that broke out in 1884, the Abbé Belloc rehabilitated the vineyard from 1890 onwards by seeking out resistant rootstocks suited to the soil and by introducing Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot noir.

• The red wines display a ruby colour, fruity aromas of red fruits combined with vegetal notes, a pleasant freshness, and tannins that are present but not aggressive.
• The white wines, pale yellow in colour, show floral notes on the nose that can develop towards honey notes after two or three years of ageing, with a finish that is often mineral.
• The rosé wines display a moderately intense, salmon-pink colour, with fruity notes of red fruits on the nose and palate, and a lively attack.

• The mild, very sunny autumns allow the various grape varieties to reach full ripeness, including the latest-ripening ones such as Fer Servadou and Cabernet Sauvignon.
• The substantial spring rainfall ensures a good water supply to the vine during its vegetative growth phase, while the sunny, hot, and dry summers ensure the grapes ripen well.

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) — approved 3 novembre 2011, JORF 5 novembre 2011
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — IVSO — Interprofession des Vins du Sud-Ouest