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

(2021/C 284/10)

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

COMMUNICATION OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT MODIFYING THE SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Graves supérieures’

PDO-FR-A1014-AM03

Date of communication: 7 May 2021

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Official Geographic Code

The list of municipalities has been updated on the basis of the 2020 Official Geographic Code (code officiel géographique).

This merely changes the wording and has no impact on the geographical area.

Points 6 and 9 of the single document have been amended in line with these changes.

2. Demarcated parcel area

In the Annex, 11 February 2021 has been added to the list of meetings of the relevant national committee at which a demarcation of parcels was approved.

The purpose of this amendment is to add the date on which the relevant national authority approved changes to the demarcated parcel area within the geographical area of production. Parcels are demarcated by identifying the parcels within the geographical area of production that are suitable for producing the product covered by the protected designation of origin.

The single document is not affected by these amendments.

3. Reference to the inspection body

The reference to the inspection body has been reworded to align it with the wording of other product specifications. This is a purely formal amendment which

has not led to any change in the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name(s)

Graves supérieures

2. Geographical indication type:

PDO – Protected designation of origin

3. Categories of grapevine products

1. Wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION

Still white wines with residual sugars obtained from overripe grapes harvested by hand in successive selections, based on the Semillon B variety which produces round, generous wines with a golden colour and aromas of candied fruit. Any blending with the Sauvignon B and Muscadelle B vine varieties adds a note of freshness.

Minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume: 13,5 %.

Fermentable sugar (G+F) content: at least 34 g/l.

The other analytical criteria are in line with EU rules.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

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

5. Wine-making practices

5.1. Specific oenological practices

1. Density and spacing

Cultivation method

The minimum vine planting density is 5 000 plants per hectare.

The spacing between the vine rows must not exceed 2 metres, and the spacing between plants in the same row must be at least 0,8 metres.

2. Pruning rules

Cultivation method

Pruning is carried out at the unfolded leaves stage (Lorenz stage 9) at the latest.

Vines are pruned with a maximum of 12 buds per plant, using the following techniques:

— short (spur) or long (shoot) pruning

— short pruning to two cordons or fan pruning to four arms.

3. Grape harvest

Wine-making restriction

The wines are made from overripe grapes (presence of noble rot and/or raisining on the vine) harvested by hand in successive selections.

4. Enrichment

Specific oenological practice

Enrichment is permitted as set out in the product specification.

5.2. Maximum yields

48 hectolitres per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

The grapes are harvested and the wines made, developed and aged in the following municipalities of the department of Gironde, based on the Official Geographic Code in force on 26 February 2020: Arbanats, Ayguemorte-les-Graves, Beautiran, Bègles, La Brède, Budos, Cabanac-et-Villagrains, Cadaujac, Canéjan, Castres-Gironde, Cérons, Cestas, Eysines, Gradignan, Guillos, Le Haillan, Illats, Isle-Saint-Georges, Landiras, Langon, Léogeats, Léognan, Martillac, Mazères, Mérignac, Pessac, Podensac, Portets, Pujols-sur-Ciron, Roaillan, Saint-Médard-d’Eyrans, Saint-Michel-de-Rieufret, Saint-Morillon, Saint-Pardon-de-Conques, Saint-Pierre-de-Mons, Saint-Selve, Saucats, Talence, Toulenne, Villenave-d’Ornon and Virelade, and in the part of the municipality of Coimères corresponding to Section A, ‘des Herrères’, of the first page of the land register (1934 revised plan) certified to be in accordance with the updated land register on 5 November 2010.

7. Main wine grape variety(-ies)

Muscadelle B

Sauvignon B – Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Gris G – Fié Gris

Semillon B

8. Description of the link(s)

The geographical area of the ‘Graves supérieures’ protected designation of origin is a strip some 10 km wide situated on the left bank of the Garonne, beginning north of Bordeaux and ending south-east of Langon.

As the name suggests, the ‘Graves supérieures’ area consists of soils made up of shingles, pebbles, largely coarse gravel and sand mixed with silt and clay, based in places on calcareous rock but generally on pure sand, iron-rich sandstone (alios) or clay. The area spans 43 municipalities of the Gironde department.

These soils are the result of a long and complex geological history, closely linked to the origins of the Garonne, changes in its course and successive glacial periods during the quaternary era. During those periods Pyrenees glaciers eroded valleys, creating gravel and boulders which rivers would then carry downstream to the Bordeaux region. Gravel hillocks of all types and sizes are all that remain of these successive deposits.

The soils which have since formed there are all highly permeable owing to their high gravel and shingle content. ‘Graves supérieures’ wines owe their structure and image of excellence to these soils, although they are not the only soils that give the wines their qualities. By encouraging the flow of water, the slopes ensure perfect surface drainage, also supported by a large hydrographic network of small streams, tributaries of the Garonne. In these types of soil, the vines’ water supply is very well regulated.

The vineyards benefit from a particular and favourable climate, protected from harsh weather to the west by pine forests playing an important temperature-regulating role and from high temperatures and excessive humidity thanks to the proximity of the Garonne, ensuring natural aeration and ventilation. They also benefit from maritime influences which help to moderate spring frost. The area’s vineyard landscapes, consisting of gentle slopes where bright, polished pebbles reflect light onto the grapes, are set between the river and pine forests.

Home to the great white and red wines of Bordeaux, the ‘Graves supérieures’ area is the birthplace of techniques still used to this day. In this maritime climate, vine growing has required the use of échalas (support poles) since the 17th and 18th centuries, followed by widespread trellising and rigorous pruning to ensure a well-distributed grape harvest and sufficient leaf area for photosynthesis and optimum ripeness.

In line with the traditional methods, the parcel area selected for the harvesting of grapes consists of parcels with natural sanitation resulting from either their drainage quality or their position on a hilltop or slope. It excludes locations that are subject to spring frost for reasons of geography or topography, either because they are too far from the Garonne to benefit from the river’s heat-regulating effect or because they are encircled by forest blocking the flow of cold air masses.

The precisely defined parcels ensure optimum development of the local vine varieties, which have been selected over time for their keeping and ageing qualities, allowing the wines to be transported over long distances.

Wines with the ‘Graves supérieures’ protected designation of origin are exclusively white wines with residual sugars obtained from overripe grapes harvested by hand in successive selections. They are based on the Semillon B variety, which produces round, generous wines with a golden colour and aromas of candied fruit. The geographical area of the designation enjoys a climate which is particularly favourable to this harvesting technique. Blending with the Sauvignon B and Muscadelle B grape varieties, harvested using the same techniques, adds a note of freshness to the wines. This freshness also reflects the nature of the sandy soils or clayey matrix on which the parcels covered by the designation are planted, giving these wines with residual sugars a good balance, finesse and floral and fruity notes. Well suited to a few years of ageing, the wines can also be enjoyed young.

The minimum planting density is high so as to ensure a sufficient harvest without overloading the vines, thereby guaranteeing the grapes’ ripeness and optimum fruit concentration.

The ‘Graves supérieures’ protected designation of origin acquired international renown thanks to the nearby port of Bordeaux, where a busy trade developed to market the wines across the globe, combined with the wine-making area’s unique location and soil conditions.

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

Area in immediate proximity

Legal framework:

National 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 vinification, development and ageing, comprises the territory of the following municipalities of the department of Gironde, based on the Official Geographic Code in force on 26 February 2020: Barsac, Béguey, Bieujac, Bommes, Cadillac, Fargues, Langoiran, Loupiac, Le Pian-sur-Garonne, Preignac, Rions, Saint-Loubert, Saint-Maixant, Saint-Pierre-d’Aurillac, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Sauternes and Castets et Castillon (only the part corresponding to the territory of the former municipality of Castets-en-Dorthe before it was merged with Castillon-de-Castets on 1 January 2017).

Broader geographical unit

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

Wines with this protected designation of origin may specify the broader geographical unit ‘Vin de Graves’ on their labels.

The size of the letters used for this broader geographical unit must not be larger, in either height or width, than two thirds of the size of the letters forming the name of the protected designation of origin.

Link to the product specification

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-f819edf9-40af-4f73-9357-def82d1a30d2

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