Publication of a communication of approval of a standard amendment to the product specification for a name in the wine sector referred to in Article 17(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33.

(2020/C 44/08)

This notice is published in accordance with Article 17(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (1)

COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

Savennières Roche aux Moines

PDO-FR-A0982-AM01

Date of communication: 14 11 2019

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Geographical area

Under point IV(1) of Chapter I, the sentence ‘The grapes are harvested and the wines made, developed and aged in the following municipalities of the department of Maine-et-Loire:’ is replaced by ‘All stages of production take place in the geographical area encompassing the following municipalities of the department of Maine-et-Loire’ on the basis of the Official Geographic Code of 2018:’. The following sentence is also added: ‘Maps of the geographical area can be found on the website of the National Institute of Origin and Quality.’

The wording proposed under ‘Geographical area’ is aimed at being more reader-friendly and removes any ambiguities concerning the description of the phases (wine-making, production, aging, etc.).

Editorial amendment: the new list of administrative entities takes account of amalgamations of administrative divisions and other changes that have occurred since the approval of the specification. To increase legal certainty, this list is referenced according to the current version of the Official Geographic Code, updated yearly by INSEE (the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies). The boundaries of the geographical area remain exactly the same.

Lastly, to keep the public better informed, reference is made to the availability of maps of the geographical area on the National Institute of Origin and Quality website.

Point 6 of the Single Document concerning the geographical area has been amended accordingly.

2. Area in immediate proximity

Under point IV(3) of Chapter I, the list of municipalities is replaced by:

Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Chaudefonds-sur-Layon, Rochefort-sur-Loire, Val-du-Layon (former territory of the delegated municipality of Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné)

This makes it possible to take account of the various municipal amalgamations that have occurred since the previous version of the specification. The boundaries of the area in immediate proximity remain exactly the same.

Point 9 of the Single Document concerning additional conditions has been amended accordingly.

3. Harvest proclamation

Under point VII(1)(a) of Chapter 1 of the specification, the following sentence has been deleted: ‘The start date of the harvests is set in accordance with Article D. 645-6 of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code’.

It is no longer necessary to set a start date for harvests, since operators have a larger selection of tools at their disposal, making it possible for them to gauge the ripeness of the grapes as accurately as possible. All operators have access to a certain number of machines and equipment, owned both privately and collectively, enabling them to accurately determine the ideal start date for harvesting each parcel based on the production objectives.

The Single Document is not affected by this amendment.

4. Fermenting room capacity

Under point IX(1)(a) of Chapter 1, the sentence: ‘All operators have a fermenting room capacity for producing wine equal to at least 1,4 times the holding’s average yield over the past five years.’ is replaced by: ‘All operators have a fermenting room capacity for producing wine equal to at least 1,4 times the average volume of wine produced over the past five years.’

The specification made reference not to a volume capacity (expressed in hectolitres or cubic metres) but to a yield, which is the harvest volume divided by the production area (expressed for example in hectolitres per hectare). The proposed amendment rectifies this incongruity concerning measurements without making any substantial changes (the minimum is still set at 1,4 times the average volume of wine produced by a holding over the previous years).

The Single Document is not affected by this amendment.

5. Link with the geographical area

The word ‘Agricultural’ has been added to ‘Angers Agricultural and Industrial Company’ (Société Agricole et Industrielle d’Angers) because the title of this journal was incomplete. The proposed correction rectifies this omission.

Point 8 of the Single Document concerning the link with the geographical area has been amended accordingly.

6. Record keeping

Under point II(3) of Chapter 2, ‘potential’ is replaced by ‘natural’.

In order to ensure consistency in the drafting across all specifications from the Anjou Saumur area, the formula ‘natural alcoholic strength by volume’ replaces ‘potential strength’ or ‘degree’. These amendments improve the readability of the specifications. The harmonisation of the record-keeping provisions is intended to make it easier to draw up inspection plans and check records.

The Single Document is not affected by this amendment.

7. Main points for checking

Chapter 3 has been updated to harmonise the drawing up of the main points for checking in specifications from the Anjou Saumur area.

The Single Document is not affected by this amendment.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name of the product

Savennières Roche aux Moines

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine product

1. Wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

These are dry, still white wines, semi-sweet or sweet, whose principle analytical characteristics are as follows: the minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume for the dry wines is 12,5 %; the minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume for the other wines is 15,5 %; after fermentation, the dry wines have a fermentable sugar (glucose and fructose) content of less than or equal to 4 grams per litre. After fermentation, the semi-sweet wines have a fermentable sugar (glucose and fructose) content of more than or equal to 30 grams per litre. The volatile acidity, total acidity and total sulphur dioxide content are those laid down by EU legislation. The wines are white and usually dry. Their pale yellow colour, at times golden with green highlights, is of a rare elegance. Their fine and complex nose often combines floral aromas with more fruity notes, crowned with a hint of minerality. They are generous on the palate and smooth with a touch of liveliness that means they are never heavy. Noble rot develops in good years, allowing producers to make wines with good keeping qualities with fermentable sugar. Over time, these wines develop a particular and complex bouquet associated with the development of Botrytis cinerea.

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 11,5 Minimum total acidity Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) Total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

5. Wine-making practices

a. Essential oenological practices

Specific oenological practice

The grapes are poured whole into the press.

Continuous presses are prohibited.

Any kind of enrichment is prohibited. Any heat treatment of the wine harvest or of the wine at a temperature below -5°C or above 40 °C is prohibited. All partial dealcoholisation of the wines is prohibited. The use of wood chips is prohibited. In addition to the above provisions, the oenological practices concerning these wines must meet the requirements laid down at Community level and in the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code.

Wines are aged at least until 15 June of the year following the harvest.

Growing method

The minimum vine planting density is 5,000 plants per hectare. The spacing between the rows of these vines must not exceed two metres, and the spacing between plants in the same row must be at least one metre. The vines are pruned by 30 April at the latest; by the mixed pruning method, with a maximum of ten buds per plant, or by the cordon de Royat method, with a maximum of 12 buds per plant. At the phenological stage corresponding to 11 or 12 leaves, the number of fruit-bearing branches for the year by plant must be eight or less.

The height of the foliage when tied up is at least 0.6 times the space between the rows, with the height of the foliage when tied up being measured between the lower limit of the foliage, set at a minimum of 0.4 metres above the ground, and the upper limit of the highest part of the canopy, set at a minimum of 0.2 metres above the trellising wire.

Irrigation is prohibited.

The grapes are harvested by hand through at least two selections of bunches per plant. The use of grape harvesting machines is prohibited.

The use of conveyors is prohibited.

b. Maximum yields

dry wines

35 hectolitres per hectare

semi-sweet and sweet wines

30 hectolitres per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

All stages of production take place in the geographical area encompassing the following municipalities of the department of Maine-et-Loire, on the basis of the Official Geographic Code of 2018: Savennières.

7. Main wine grapes

Chenin B

8. Description of the link(s)

1 Information on the geographical area

(a) Description of the natural factors relevant to the link

‘Roche aux Moines’ is a reputed area under the ‘Savennières’ protected designation of origin. Situated a dozen or so kilometres to the west of Angers, it has always been considered one of the most highly regarded areas under this protected designation of origin. The slope adjoins a jagged, rocky overhang of the crystalline basement overlooking the Loire. It is bordered to the east by the Coulée de Serrant and to the west by a valley adjoining ‘les Forges’, which separates it from the slope of the ‘Moulin du Gué’. Its demarcated area totals around 35 hectares. The gentle, upper part of the slope is south facing. The slope becomes steeper in the lower part and in the part to the west of the ‘Moulin du Gué’.

The geological formations are part of the Massif Armoricain. The soils are mainly a result of the shale and sandstone and shale formations of the upper Ordovician to the lower Devonian series. In places, volcanic veins whose original acidic material has produced rhyolite appear on the surface. At one point on the slope, the hard rock that lent its name to the area rises impressively to the surface. The soil in some parcels situated at the edge of the plateau are lightly covered in quaternary sand carried by the wind. The bedrock appears very close to the surface most often on the slope. The soil is generally shallow, not very fertile and very stony. It has a considerable drainage capacity and a low water reserve.

The climate of the ‘Roche aux Moines’ is oceanic, which is typical of the vineyards of the Anjou region. The Mauges uplands to the west alter this oceanic trait through the Foehn effect. Mean annual precipitation is 600 millimetres, marked by sheltered, humid winds; it exceeds 800 millimetres over the Mauges uplands. This difference in average rainfall is even more marked during the vegetative cycle of the vineyards, especially from June until the grape harvest period. Average annual temperatures are relatively high, at around 12 °C. These traits are more pronounced at mesoclimatic level. The steep, south-facing slopes take advantage of the sun’s rays, restrict humidity in the air and guarantee that the parcels are well aerated.

The Loire, located below the prevailing winds, plays an important heat-regulating role on the nearby slopes, thus keeping night-time temperatures high. The river also plays an important role during the harvesting period by encouraging the formation of morning mists, which are essential for the development of Botrytis cinerea.

(b) Description of the human factors relevant to the geographical link

The name ‘Roche aux Moines’ dates back to the twelfth century and has been in constant, uninterrupted use since that time. It first appeared when the Chevalier Buhard estate was given to the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Nicolas d’Angers in around 1130; the monks then planted vineyards there. The first of the ‘Bouvines’ battles played out on 2 July 1214. The English knights, slowed down by the rows of vineyards, were defeated by Louis VIII’s troops. The ‘Roche aux Moines’ slopes remained the monastery’s property and wine-growing developed there in step with the religious community’s needs up until the Revolution. This prestigious site was then taken over by owners desirous to produce quality wines.

Pierre Guillory (1796-1878) was an inveterate moderniser and had an important impact on the life cycle of the vineyards. Open to new techniques and keen to share his results, he contributed to the renown of the ‘Roche aux Moines’. On those slopes he recreated the terraces that he had come across on the banks of Lake Geneva. He experimented with wire trellising and slate stakes to improve the ventilation of the Chenin B grapes. He also worked with sulphur and employed the early debudding method. His research on harvesting and pressing techniques was quickly adopted by other producers. In 1861, he wrote the following in an Angers Agricultural and Industrial Company Bulletin: ‘With very few exceptions, harvesting takes place in October, once the grapes are deemed perfectly ripe and at least a quarter of them are affected by noble rot.’ This is backed up by Count Odart, who, in 1845, stated the following in his ‘Wine variety treatise’: ‘We should also add the condition of not harvesting the grapes until around All Saints Day, when the grapes are over ripe and their skin sphacelous after being softened by the rains’. The producers were very quick to understand that this variety should be harvested at an advanced stage of ripeness and that very special attention should be paid to each bunch of grapes.

2 Information on the quality and characteristics of the product

The wines are white and most often dry.

Their pale yellow colour, at times golden with green highlights, is of a rare elegance. Their fine and complex nose often combines floral aromas with more fruity notes, crowned with a hint of minerality. They are generous on the palate and smooth with a touch of liveliness that means they are never heavy.

In some years, noble rot develops, giving producers the possibility of making wines with good keeping qualities with fermentable sugar, which, over time, develop a particular and complex bouquet associated with the development of Botrytis cinerea.

3 Causal interactions

The exceptional characteristics of this steep slope, looming over the Loire with its stony, thin soils, can only be improved on by its vineyards. With the appropriate human intervention (short pruning, yields set at 30 hectolitres per hectare, rigorous harvests by means of a careful selection of bunches), the Chenin B variety has found an ideal position on this slope. The terrain, with its shallow soils, requires mechanical maintenance or grass cover on the parcels and a controlled supply of vine protection products that could destroy the subsoil and put at risk the parcels’ suitability for wine-growing.

The practices, in particular the harvest, are testament to the experience gained by the producers. The establishment of a yield compatible with the soil’s potentiality and the prohibition of any enrichment reflect a desire to develop a strong identity. Maintaining the originality of this exceptional fine white wine requires the utmost strictness both in terms of pressing techniques, so as to preserve all the qualities of the raw material, and in terms of traditional wine-making methods, in order to guarantee the qualities of the end product.

In 1956, in his book ‘The Wines of the Loire’, Pierre Bréjoux wrote of the ‘Roche aux Moines’ wines as follows: ‘These are the lords and masters of the Loire and one of the splendours of the rich wine-making culture of France.’ The producers, conscious of the need to safeguard and future-proof the quality and repute of the protected designation of origin ‘Savennières Roche aux Moines’, have increased their collective efforts to make this wine one of the jewels of French production.

9. Essential further conditions (packaging, labelling, other requirements)

Area in immediate proximity

Legal framework:

EU legislation

Type of further condition:

Derogation concerning production in the demarcated geographical area

Description of the condition:

The area in immediate proximity, defined by derogation for the processing and ageing of wines, comprises the territory of the following municipalities of the department of Maine-et-Loire, on the basis of the Official Geographic Code of 2018: Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Chaudefonds-sur-Layon, Rochefort-sur-Loire, Val-du-Layon (former territory of the delegated municipality of Saint-Aubin-de-Luigné).

Labelling

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

The size of the letters of optional terms whose use, under Community provisions, may be regulated by the Member States, must not be larger, either in height or width, than half of the size of the letters forming the name of the Protected Designation of Origin.

The name of the protected designation of origin may be followed by the geographical designation ‘Val de Loire’, in accordance with the rules laid down in the specification. The size of the letters of the geographical designation ‘Val de Loire’ may not be larger, either in height or width, than two-thirds of the size of the letters forming the name of the protected designation of origin;

Wines with a fermentable sugar content of more than or equal to 30 grams per litre must be described with the terms ‘semi-sweet’ or ‘sweet’ in all commercial documents, shipping documents and on labels according to the fermentable sugar content (glucose and fructose) of the wine, as defined by EU legislation. These particulars are included on the labels in the same field of vision as the name of the protected designation of origin.

Link to the product specification

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-24d5c8a6-052c-4f0b-83a4-14034aaad14c

(1) OJ L 9, 11.1.2019, p. 2.