St Emilion – a Brief overview First plantings and development • St Emilion is probably the oldest active wine producing appelation in Bordeaux • It also lays claim to having the oldest wine society in France. The Jurade of St Emilion was formed in 1199 • The first grapes were already planted by the Roman’s in the 2nd century • In the 4th century the famous Roman poet and wine lover Decimus Magnus Ausonius (after whom Ch. Ausone was named) already lauded the fruit of the vines. • The town was eventually named after the monk Emilian who lived as a Hermit in a cave there during the 8th century. Emilian started to create the uniquely designed limestone church based central in the village • The monks that followed him started up the commercial wine production • St Emillion was the first region in Bordeaux to export their wines starting as far back as the 14th century to England • Today St Emilion is one of the largest wine producing regions in Bordeaux with total plantings of 5565 Ha and around 800 different growers and producers • A total of 1500000 cases are produced from Grand Cru vineyards and 900000 from St Emilion non classified vineyards • The medieval town was granted UNESCO world heritage status in 1999 The Terroir and soil • St Emilion is situated between 2 rivers, the Isle and the Dordogne which gives it a very special cooler microclimate • It is situated on the right bank of the Gironde adjoining Pomerol • You can divide the appellation in mainly 3 distinct terroirs The limestone plateau The slopes (Cotes) closest to the plateau – limestone rich hillsides that surrounds St Emilion village The flats – which to the West have gravel terraces or sandy soils not far from Pomerol and to the East the cooler clay rich terroir • The elevation varies from 3m in the flats to 100m on the Plateau Soil Map St Emilion 1. Old Alluvia (highlighted in green) – these loamy gravelly sands vary in composition and are found on the plains towards the Dordogne River. They produce supple, light, aromatic wines. 2. Hillside Sandy Clay Soil (highlighted in violet) – these sandy and clayey soils are located on the foothills ‘pieds de côtes’ that slope down from the limestone plateau. This is qualitative terroir producing dense, complex wines. Châteaux Larciss Ducasse, Angélus, Canon La Gaffeliere, 3. Limestone Clay on Fronsadais Molasse (highlighted in orange). This terroir is located just off the limestone plateau as the vineyards begin to descend. It is highly qualitative terroir producing dense, complex wines. Châteaux Pavie (Premier Grand Cru Classé A), La Gaffeliere (Premier Grand Cru Classé), L’Arrosée, Pavie Macquin. 4. Limestone Clay on Asteriated Clay (highlighted in yellow) – located on the plateau this terroir has the highest number of Premier Grand Cru Classé properties including Ausone (Premier Grand Cru Classé A), Beausejour Bécot, Canon, Clos Fourtet. It has many underground cellars that originated from the limestone quarries. 5. Old Sand on Clay or Iron Sludge ‘Crasse de Fers’ (highlighted in light blue) – located in the valley to the north and north east of St Emilion. Produces a wine that is silky and round with an elegant structure. Châteaux Grand Corbin Despagne, Corbin Michotte, 6. Deep Siliceous Gravel with a Clay Subsoil (highlighted in dark grey) This is the ‘warm soil par excellence in St Emilion with its gravels it can support the Cabernet Franc and even Cabernet Sauvignon grape. Very good terroir producing dense strong wines with great ageing potential. Châteaux Cheval Blanc and Figeac. The Varieties • Merlot – Ripens earlier so can reach full maturity in the moist limestone and clay-textured soils of St Emilion. The wine is rich in colour and alcohol content with good aromatic complexity of ripe red and black fruits, suppleness and roundness give a silky sensation on the palate. • Cabernet Franc – Ripens neither early nor particularly late. Mostly planted in Limestone soils but does best on the slightly warmer textured sand and gravel soils lower in the valleys. Gives aromatic subtlety with slightly spiced flavour, freshness and tannic structure which allows the wines to age well • Cabernet Sauvignon – Late ripening particularly suited to hot, dry soils, (sandy, gravelly or well exposed clay-limestone). Gives spicy and complex flavours tannic richness which makes for long harmonious ageing process. • Small percentage of Malbec?? Classification • St Emilion was not included in the 1855 classification of Bordeaux • First formal classification was made in 1955 which is revised roughly every 10 years. • Revision was done in 1969, 1986, 1996 and 2006 • There are three classification levels – Premier Grand Cru Classe A – This is considered in the same league as the First growths of the Medoc. There are 4 Chateaux in this category: Ch. Auzone, Ch. Cheval Blanc( Both since the start), Ch. Angelus and Ch. Pavie (since 2012) • In order to apply for this classification in 2012, Chateaux Pavie and Angelus were judged on price, reputation in the marketplace, terroir and the wine. Both made big investments regarding upgrades • The Chateaux had to score a minimum of 17/20 on the criteria mentioned of which • Wine were 30% of score – they had to submit 20 vintages • Vineyards made up 30% for terroir and soil of St Emilion • The Chateau’s reputation made up 35% - which included the selling price, the Chateau and reception area • The estate and their practices made the last 5% – Premiers Grand Cru Classe B – There are currently 14 Chateaux in this classification. In order to get this ranking the Chateaux had to score a minimum of 16/20 overall with similar criteria as above – Grand Cru Classé – for this classification the Chateaux had to score 14/20 overall based on the following criteria • Tasting notes on wine 50% • Reputation 20% • Farm and terroir 20% • Running of the operation and practices 10% • The 2006 classification was declared invalid and the 1996 classification was re-instated for the 2006-2009 vintages • The original list of 1955 consisted of 12 Premier grand cru classé’s and 63 Grands crus classe’s • Currently there are 18 Premier Grand Crus and 64 Grand Cru Classé producers The Consultants • Michel Rolland – Fruit heavy and oak-influenced • Stephane Derenoncourt - I like to define the potential of a terroir and try to adapt the winemaking to express that to the maximum. The problem comes when people want to make huge wines from slight terroirs." • Jean-Claude Berrouet from Ch Petrus - his philosophy has been for the wines to express their terroir, always favoring elegance over extraction. • Claude Gros from Narbonne - "I'm a chameleon. I don't have principles. We build something together. I don't have a style I want to impose. I try to understand what they want – obviously within the possibilities of their terroir. Ch. Grand Corbin Manuel Grand Cru Classe • North West of St Emilion near Pomerol • Owned by the de Gaye family since 2005 • 7 Ha of land in one piece around the Chateau • Planted to 80% Merlot, 15% Cab Franc and 5% Cab Sauv, blend is the same • 6600 Vines/Ha • Average age of vines are 35 years • Very fine sand with clay on slopes, sandy clay lower down as well as parts sandstone and bits of iron • The vineyards has been drained to avoid excess water at certain periods • 41000 Bottles produced • Alc = 13.47, pH = 3.45, TA = 3.75, VA = 0.55 • Price = Gift ? Ch. La Fleur Morange Grand Cru Classe since 2012 Also known as “the carpenter’s wine” • Situated on the East side of St Emilion in St.- Pey d’Armens • Jean-Francois Julian was a carpenter working at Canon la Gaffeliere when he decided to become a winemaker. • He planted vineyard on land he owned in his native village St- Pey d’Armens as a defence measure to stop council from building social housing. • After serious research into his local soils, he realised that his quarter of land has the same water-retaining iron-rich clay on which Ch. Petrus is based • The first vintage of 75 cases was from the ‘99 vintage made in his father in law’s garage. • During the year 2000 he built his own cellar where they have a very hands on approach to winemaking. De-stemming by hand and pressing in an old basket press. • Since 2002 he uses Claude Gros from Narbonne as consultant • Planted to 70% Merlot and 30% Cab Franc of which 2 Ha is Merlot older than 100 years which makes it some of the oldest vineyards in St Emilion • Wine are matured in 100% French oak for 18 months • Total production of 5500 bottles • This wine has a cult following and has been confused in blind tastings as Ch Pavie or Ch Auzone • Price = 120 Euro Ch. Laroque Grand Cru Classe • Northeast of St Emilion near Troplong Mondot in the commune St Christophe-des-Bardes • They own the largest vineyard in St Emilion with a total of 61 Ha planted to 87% Merlot, 11% Cab Franc and 2 % Cab Sauv • 40 ha is classified as Grand Cru Classe vineyards • 27 ha of this are used for their first wine • The average age of most of the vines are 40 years with 14 Ha averaging 55 years • Parcels are fermented separately in custom sized cement vats whereafter wine are matured in 50% new French oak barrels for 12 month • The soil is mainly clay rich with limestone • Average yearly production is 66000 bottles • Consultant Derenoncourt • Alc = 14vol%, pH = 3.43, TA = 3.55 • Price = 32 Euro • Derenoncourt as consultant Ch Faugéres Grand Cru, since 2012 A monumental cellar overlooking the Chateau • Situated in St-Etienne de Lisse on the Castillion plateau, East of St Emilion • The terroir is limestone on the Plateau with clay and limestone on the slopes facing south-southeast.