Haut-Montravel

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical area encompasses the entire territory of 13 communes and corresponds broadly to the interfluve between the Dordogne and the Lidoire.
• The geological substratum represents the maximum extent of the Stampian sea, with a star-coral limestone (calcaire à astéries) of carbonate, reef-tending sedimentation that transitions to the east into a more terrigenous and clayey sedimentation.
• The hillsides are made up of three distinct limestone levels — Castillon, astéries, and Aquitanian — giving rise to clay-limestone soils into which molasse layers are interspersed.
• Three main soil types are identified within the delimited parcel area: clay-limestone soils varying according to the substratum, acidic and leached silty-clay boulbènes on the molasses, and sandy-clay valley soils that are sometimes hydromorphic.
• The relief is tabular and relatively narrow, framed by the valleys of the Lidoire and the Dordogne, making it a unique territory within the Bergeracois.
• Located roughly one hundred kilometres as the crow flies from the Atlantic Ocean, the area benefits fully from an oceanic climate, with mild spring and autumn temperatures enabling early bud break and late leaf fall.
• The presence of the Landais forest to the north and the Dordogne valley to the south encourages high humidity levels in autumn, especially in the early morning.

• In 1307, the Archbishop of Bordeaux acquired the eighteen parishes of the canton of Vélines and the commune of Montpeyroux, forming a châtellenie whose wines enjoyed free access to the Bordeaux market.
• In 1922, the Bergerac tribunal settled a dispute by reserving the appellation Haut-Montravel for the communes on the left bank of the Estrop, with the opposite bank falling under Côtes de Montravel.
• Production, which peaked at 25,000 hectolitres in the 1950s and 1960s, fell back to an average of 2,000 hectolitres during the decade 2000–2010, sold entirely in bottle.
• For around fifteen years, a group of winegrowers has been producing white wines with high residual sugar through successive manual tris.

• The white wines are refined, supple, and of very high concentration, with a sweet character that becomes more pronounced when the grapes are affected by noble rot through the action of Botrytis cinerea.
• With a fermentable sugar content exceeding 85 grams per litre, these wines have an excellent capacity for ageing.
• With a total alcoholic strength exceeding 14.5% vol, the wines are very rich in fermentable sugars, with a certain roundness on the palate and aromas of stewed or candied fruit, sometimes with notes of honey.

• The climatic conditions associated with the Dordogne valley and the Landais forest massif encourage morning mists followed by sunny afternoons in autumn, which can allow the production of wines from grapes affected by noble rot through the action of Botrytis cinerea.
• Rigorous management of training methods, with a minimum planting density of 5,000 vines per hectare and a low yield per vine, ensures sufficient and early grape ripeness, enabling good concentration.

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