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

(2021/C 520/10)

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

COMMUNICATION OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT TO THE SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Côtes de Bordeaux Saint-Macaire’

PDO-FR-A0707-AM03

Date of communication: 26 October 2021

DESCRIPTION OF AND REASONS FOR THE APPROVED AMENDMENT

1. Official Geographic Code

The municipalities making up the geographical area and the area in immediate proximity have been updated in line with the Official Geographic Code.

The boundaries of the area remain unchanged.

Points 6 and 9 of the single document have been amended.

2. Demarcated parcel area

In section IV(2) of Chapter I of the specification, the words ‘and 3 June 2021’ have been added after ‘3 May 2017’.

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. Demarcation is carried out 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 this amendment.

3. Date for circulation between authorised warehouses

Point IX(5)(b) of Chapter I on the date of entry into circulation of the wines between authorised warehouses has been deleted.

This amendment does not require any changes to the single document.

4. Reference to the inspection body

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

This amendment does not require any changes to the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name(s)

Côtes de Bordeaux Saint-Macaire

2. Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine products

1. Wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

1. Dry white wines

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION

Semillon B grapes frequently have delicate aromas of white flowers and fruits accompanied by a smooth and generous mouthfeel. They are often blended with Sauvignon B, Sauvignon Gris G and Muscadelle B, which bring fruity notes and freshness.

Minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume: 11 %.

The fermentable sugar content is less than 4 grams per litre.

The wines’ total alcoholic strength by volume after enrichment must not exceed 13,5 %.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum total acidity in milliequivalents per litre Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) 13,26 Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 200

2. Sweet white wines

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION

Semillon B grapes frequently have delicate aromas of white flowers and fruits accompanied by a smooth and generous mouthfeel. They are often blended with Sauvignon B, Sauvignon Gris G and Muscadelle B, which bring fruity notes and freshness.

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

The fermentable sugar content is between 34 and 45 grams per litre.

Enrichment by rectified concentrated grape must or chaptalisation must not result in the total alcoholic strength by volume exceeding 15 % after enrichment. Enrichment by partial concentration of musts for wine production is permitted, subject to a 10 % concentration limit for the volumes enriched using this method. It is permitted for the total alcoholic strength by volume to reach 16 %.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) 16 Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 11,5 Minimum total acidity in milliequivalents per litre Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) 18 Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 300

3. Sweet white dessert wines (‘liquoreux’)

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION

Semillon B grapes frequently have delicate aromas of white flowers and fruits accompanied by a smooth and generous mouthfeel. They are often blended with Sauvignon B, Sauvignon Gris G and Muscadelle B, which bring fruity notes and freshness. The dessert wines termed ‘liquoreux’ have great aromatic complexity, with prominent notes of citrus, honey and spices.

Minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume: 16 %.

The fermentable sugar content exceeds 45 grams per litre.

Enrichment of any kind is prohibited in the production of these wines.

GENERAL ANALYTICAL CHARACTERISTICS

General analytical characteristics Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume) Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume) 12 Minimum total acidity in milliequivalents per litre Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre) 25 Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre) 400

5. Wine-making practices

5.1. Specific oenological practices

1. Cultivation methods

Cultivation method

The minimum vine planting density is 4 500 plants per hectare. The spacing between the rows of these vines must not exceed 2,50 metres, and the spacing between plants in the same row must be at least 0,85 metres.

Pruning takes place by 1 May at the latest. The vines are pruned to a maximum of ten buds per plant, and trained either in single, double or mixed Guyot, or they are spur pruned and trained to cordon de Royat or éventail.

The dessert wines termed ‘liquoreux’ are made from over-ripe grapes, with the presence of ‘noble rot’, harvested by hand in multiple passes.

2. Enrichment

Specific oenological practice

Enrichment of any kind is not permitted in the production of dessert wines termed ‘liquoreux’.

The total alcoholic strength by volume after enrichment does not exceed 13,5 % for the dry wines.

For the sweet wines, enrichment by rectified concentrated grape must or chaptalisation must not result in the total alcoholic strength by volume exceeding 15 % after enrichment. Enrichment by partial concentration of musts for wine production is permitted, subject to a 10 % concentration limit for the volumes enriched using this method. It is permitted for the total alcoholic strength by volume to reach 16 %.

5.2. Maximum yields

1. Dry white wines

60 hectolitres per hectare

2. Sweet white wines

55 hectolitres per hectare

3. White dessert wines termed ‘liquoreux’

40 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 15 March 2021: Caudrot, Le Pian-sur-Garonne, Saint-André-du-Bois, Saint-Laurent-du-Bois, Saint-Laurent-du-Plan, Saint-Macaire, Saint-Martial, Saint-Martin-de-Sescas, Saint-Pierre-d’Aurillac and Sainte-Foy-la-Longue.

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 is located on the right bank of the Garonne, 40 kilometres upriver from Bordeaux, close to Langon on the opposite side.

The moderate climate and influences of the Garonne valley have a beneficial effect, particularly in reducing the risks of spring frosts. The geographical area is characterised by very rugged terrain with slopes running largely parallel to the river. Tributaries of the Garonne have formed deep clefts creating broad valleys in the molassic and limestone hillsides.

Within the geographical area, the parcels located on recent alluvial deposits have been excluded from the area specifically demarcated for the grape harvest. Also excluded are the parcels with naturally poor drainage, including those with hydromorphic soils or leached, acidic to gley-like soils found on the northern slopes, where there are mixed forests. The same applies to the thalweg bottoms; to parcels surrounded by forest or vulnerable to risks of spring frost; urban areas; limestone and slate quarries; former timber plantations and mixed forests not historically used for wine-growing.

The parcels on the southern slopes have a favourable aspect and sandy-clay soils or soils formed on gravel beds lying on the characteristic molasse of Agenais. These parcels nurture the characteristic expression of the white grape varieties, especially Semillon B.

This demarcation requires the best vineyard management. Vine vigour and production are controlled by measures including: strict pruning rules to limit each plant’s production; sufficient planting density; rules regarding trellising and canopy height; and a strictly defined maximum load per vine. The wines of ‘Côtes de Bordeaux Saint-Macaire’, are characteristically smooth and round with an aromatic expression. For this reason, they must be produced from grapes harvested with fully ripe.

Finally, the yield must also be controlled according to the style of product, i.e. dry, sweet or dessert white wines. The higher the sugar content of the wine, the lower yield must be. White wines with fermentable sugars account for the greater part of production, while production of dry white wines is more restricted.

Semillon B grapes frequently have delicate aromas of white flowers and fruits accompanied by a smooth and generous mouthfeel. They are often blended with Sauvignon B, Sauvignon Gris G and Muscadelle B, which bring fruity notes and freshness.

Depending on the ripeness of the grapes, the following terms can be used for the wines:

— ‘sec’ [dry] for white wines with a fermentable sugar content of less than 4 grams per litre;

— ‘moelleux’ [sweet] for white wines with a fermentable sugar content of between 34 and 45 grams per litre;

The dessert wines termed ‘liquoreux’ are made from over-ripe grapes, harvested by hand in multiple passes. The fermentable sugar content exceeds 45 grams per litre. Enrichment is entirely prohibited. The maturation period lasts until 15 March of the year following the harvest. It is necessary to develop the finesse and more complex aromas of the wines. They have great aromatic complexity, with prominent notes of citrus, honey and spices.

Expertise developed at the heart of a community of producers resulted in the recognition of ‘Côtes de Bordeaux-Saint-Macaire’ as a protected designation of origin. It is applied to wines produced within a geographical environment particularly suited to growing white grape varieties. Since the 1990s, production has been restricted due to the development of red wine production. Nevertheless, a small group of producers is maintaining the fame and reputation of ‘Côtes de Bordeaux-Saint-Macaire’ with its dynamism and its historical association with the production of white wines, and dessert wines in particular.

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

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 the production, development and ageing of the wines, comprises the territory of the following communes in the department of Gironde, on the basis of the Official Geographical Code in force on 15 March 2021: Casseuil, Castelviel, Gironde-sur-Dropt, Gornac, Morizès, Mourens, Saint-Exupéry, Saint-Félix-de-Foncaude, Saint-Germain-de-Grave, Saint-Maixant, Saint-Pierre-de-Bat, Semens, Toulenne and Verdelais.

Labelling: Non-mandatory information

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

All optional terms are marked on the labels in letters that may not be larger, either in height or width, than double the size of the letters forming the name of the protected designation of origin.

Wines with a fermentable sugar content (glucose and fructose) not exceeding 4 grams per litre are labelled ‘sec’ [dry].

Wines with a fermentable sugar content (glucose and fructose) between 34 and 45 grams per litre are labelled ‘moelleux’ [sweet].

Labelling: 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 Bordeaux’ or ‘Grand Vin de Bordeaux’ 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

http://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-234215e6-a777-434c-a2b2-450d9e9fb46f

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