Montagne-Saint-Emilion

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The villages of the appellation are perched on a hill at 86 metres above sea level, overlooking the Barbanne valley that separates Montagne from the Saint-Émilion jurisdiction to the south.
• The geological foundation rests on a Tertiary substratum of calcareous deposits laid down during Oligocene marine transgressions, incised by streams such as the Barbanne.
• In the western part of the commune, the Isle river deposited, during the Quaternary, alluvial material forming sandy-gravelly terraces, distinct from the sandy-clay or sandy-silt soils at the foot of the slopes to the north-east and south-east.
• The greater part of the landscape features hillsides of clay-limestone soils over astéries limestone, benefiting from favourable aspects and generally covered with vineyards dotted with copses.
• On the Calon knoll, the highest point in the Libournais at 114 metres above sea level, five windmills dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are still standing.
• The temperate oceanic climate, under the influence of the Gulf Stream, shows continental nuances linked to the north-eastern situation of the Gironde, with higher temperatures in summer and autumn that favour the ripening of the grapes.

• The presence of the vine in the region is documented for nearly two thousand years, with the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa from the era of Ausonius, the fourth-century poet, located within the commune.
• A ruling of the Tribunal de Libourne handed down on 24 November 1921 recognised the right of wines from the commune of Montagne to use the name 'Saint-Emilion' appended to that of the commune.
• Until the end of the nineteenth century, the vineyard mix relied on ancient local red and white varieties, before Merlot spread widely during the regrafting made necessary by the phylloxera crisis.

• Merlot, the overwhelmingly dominant variety, produces powerful, round red wines with a deep colour and intense red-fruit aromas that frequently evolve, with age, towards a spiced bouquet with notes of leather and liquorice.
• Barrel ageing, which is often employed, contributes toasted and vanilla nuances that enrich the aromatic range and the structure of the wines.

• Merlot expresses itself fully on the clay-limestone soils of the appellation, where its optimal ripeness lends the red wines sufficient structure.

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 10 avril 2019 publié au JORF du 2 mai 2019, JORF 2 mai 2019
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVB