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

(2022/C 88/08)

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

‘Saint-Estèphe’

PDO-FR-A0178-AM01

Date of communication: 26 November 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

The date of 3 June 2021 has been added to the list of meetings of the relevant national committee that approved the demarcated parcel areas.

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. Circulation between authorised warehouses

Point IX(5)(b) of Chapter 1 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. Transitional measures

The expired transitional measures have been removed from the specification.

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

5. 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 editorial amendment which does not require any changes to the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name(s)

Saint-Estèphe

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

The wines are still, red wines.

The wines have a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 11 % and the total alcoholic strength by volume after enrichment does not exceed 13,5 %.

Every batch of wine sold has:

— a malic acid content not exceeding 0,30 g/l;

— a fermentable sugar (glucose and fructose) content not exceeding 2 g/l;

— when sold in bulk, a volatile acidity content of less than or equal to 13,26 milliequivalents per litre, or 0,79 g/l expressed as acetic acid (0,65 g/l expressed as H2SO4) until 31 July of the year following harvest, and less than or equal to 16,33 milliequivalents per litre, or 0,98 g/l expressed as acetic acid (0,80 g/l expressed as H2SO4) after that date.

The total acid and total sulphur dioxide contents are those laid down in EU legislation. The wines are intense red in colour. They are usually produced from a blend of varieties in which Cabernet Sauvignon N is the main variety. This variety gives the wines a robust structure rich in tannins. The Merlot N variety often supplements the notes of spices with notes of red fruit. The structure and complexity are reinforced by the Cabernet Franc N or Petit Verdot N variety; the latter can add freshness in the years of full maturity. These full-bodied and powerful wines need to be aged for a number of years to give them roundness, fruitiness and finesse.

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. Specific oenological practice

Subtractive enrichment techniques are permitted up to a concentration rate of 15 %.

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

The wine-making practices used must comply with EU rules and the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code as well as the above provisions.

2. Growing method

a) Planting density

— The minimum vine planting density is 7 000 plants per hectare.

— The distance between the rows of the vines must not exceed 1,50 metres, and the distance between plants in the same row must be at least 0,80 metres.

b) Pruning rules

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

— Vines are pruned with a maximum of 12 count buds per plant, using the following techniques: — ‘Médoc’ cane pruning, or short and ‘shoot’ pruning, with two canes per plant and a maximum of four buds per cane for the Cot N, Cabernet Sauvignon N, Merlot N and Petit Verdot N varieties, and a maximum of five buds per cane for the Cabernet Franc N and Carmenère N varieties. Repeat spur pruning has two count buds; — short pruning to two cordons or fan pruning to four arms.

c) Irrigation

Irrigation during the vine growing season is permitted in accordance with the provisions of the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code.

5.2. Maximum yields

1. 63 hectolitres per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

The grapes are harvested and the wines made, developed and aged in the municipality of Saint-Estèphe in the department of Gironde, based on the Official Geographic Code in force on 1 January 2021.

7. Main wine grape variety(-ies)

Cabernet Franc N

Cabernet Sauvignon N

Carmenère N

Cot N – Malbec

Merlot N

Petit Verdot N

8. Description of the link(s)

8.1. Description of the natural factors relevant to the link

The geographical area of the controlled designation of origin ‘Saint-Estèphe’ is situated on the left bank of the Gironde on the Médoc peninsula, halfway between Bordeaux and Pointe de Grave.

It is part of the Médoc peninsula wine-growing area with its particular geology consisting of an expansion of gravelly terraces running parallel to the Gironde estuary, at altitudes ranging from 4 metres to 40 metres.

These terraces from the Quaternary period, which are around 10 metres thick on average, rest on marl and limestone sediments from the Eocene and Oligocene, which are found in particular in the western part of the municipality of Saint-Estèphe. ‘Sable des Landes’ (Quaternary aeolian sand) covers all the formations to the west, at the forest’s edge. At the edge of the estuary, recent alluvial deposits known locally as ‘palus’ supplement the variety of formations found.

The ‘Jalle’ and ‘Estey’ network of streams, which drain all the soils as they flow towards the Gironde, have dissected these environments, making the gravelly hilltops stand out. They also form several municipal boundaries. Thus, the geographical area of the controlled designation of origin ‘Saint-Estèphe’ corresponds to the territory of the municipality of Saint-Estèphe. The territory of the municipality is separated from the municipality of Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne by the marsh drained by the ‘Estey de la Calupeyre’ to the north and the Lafite marsh drained by the ‘Jalle du Breuil’ to the south.

The soils on the gravelly hilltops are predominantly sandy-gravelly or clayey-gravelly soils. In the western part, the hard limestone bedrock has an irregular covering of sandy-gravelly soils and shallow rendzina soils. The wealth of localised sedimentary types is partly responsible for the diversity of landscapes and range of soil colours. Local place names refer to both the hilly topography and the gravelly nature of the soils with names such as ‘Cos’ or ‘Pez’.

The ‘Saint-Estèphe’ controlled designation of origin is the northernmost of the controlled designations of origin linked to a specific municipality in the Médoc region and the second largest in terms of area.

Vineyards cover most of the hilltops in the municipal area, thus shaping the landscape. The area is criss-crossed by a dense network of minor roads serving a number of hamlets. These hamlets, such as Marbuzet, Blanquet, Pez, Leyssac and Saint-Corbian, are located around wine-growing chateaus.

The finest ‘crus’ can be identified by the splendid lone chateaus in the middle of their vineyards.

To the south and north of the municipality, the humid valleys, which form marshlands perpendicular to the estuary, contain pasture land and are wooded in places.

Finally, to the east, the gravelly hilltops under vines, which are a characteristic trait of the controlled designation of origin ‘Saint-Estèphe’, are very close to the estuary, thus reducing the areas of ‘palus’ to a strip 200 to 300 metres wide.

8.2. Description of the human factors relevant to the link

In the 13th century, Gui Martin de Saint-Estèphe, head of the Lesparre archpriesthood, was the Lord of Calon. Saint-Estèphe then began to be known for its ‘good vines’, which were already more profitable than cereals. On the territory of what would later become the municipality of Saint-Estèphe, other lords’ domains formed the historical foundation of the hamlets, such as the domain of Blanquet or the vassal domain of Lassalle de Pez.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the ‘Saint-Estèphe’ tithe was the highest in the Médoc region. However, according to history, the reputation of ‘Saint-Estèphe’ wines was closely linked to the activity of the Bordeaux merchants who aged and sold the wines.

The prosperous 19th century saw the establishment of today’s great estates. Large, splendid chateaus dating from that time are testament to their prosperity, power and dynamism.

As with the other controlled designations of origin for wine in the Médoc peninsula, the ‘crus’ from the municipality of Saint-Estèphe have been recognised in the various classifications of estates drawn up since the 17th and 18th centuries. Thus, the 1855 classification of Bordeaux wines recognised five ‘crus’ in the municipality of Saint-Estèphe and the 1932 classification of ‘cru bourgeois’ wines awarded around 40 ‘crus’.

Today, almost half of Saint-Estèphe wines are sold outside the national territory, to Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands, or exported to the United States, Switzerland and Asia.

The controlled designation of origin ‘Saint-Estèphe’ was recognised by the Decree of 11 September 1936. The wine-growing area produces an average of 65 000 hectolitres of still red wine.

The wines are intense red in colour. They are usually produced from a blend of varieties in which Cabernet Sauvignon N is the main variety. This variety gives the wines a robust structure rich in tannins. The Merlot N variety often supplements the notes of spices with notes of red fruit. The structure and complexity are reinforced by the Cabernet Franc N or Petit Verdot N variety; the latter can add freshness in the years of full maturity. These full-bodied and powerful wines need to be aged for a number of years to give them roundness, fruitiness and finesse. The quality and originality of wines with the ‘Saint- Estèphe’ controlled designation of origin can be traced back to the exceptional complementarity of the soil and the parcels’ topographical location near to the estuary, which protects the vineyards from climatic extremes.

The parcels intended for grape harvesting are precisely defined in compliance with the uses already laid down in the Decree defining the ‘Saint-Estèphe’ controlled designation of origin.

Consequently, parcels with gravelly, naturally well-drained soil located in the east of the municipality are included in the demarcated parcel area. The soil is perfectly adapted to the Cabernet Sauvignon N grape variety. Parcels with soils formed on modern alluvial deposits and sand are excluded from the parcel area as are those with soils formed on impermeable subsoil.

Parcels with naturally well-drained soil located in the west of the municipality, on a more-or-less ‘karstified’ limestone base, are included in the demarcated parcel area. The merlot N vine variety is particularly well adapted to such locations. Sunken areas with a sandy backfilling and variable hydromorphy are excluded, as are areas with clay soil and deep hydromorphy, marshlands and peatlands.

Vines are managed in a way which enables very ripe and healthy grapes to be obtained, with a controlled yield. A very long maceration period is therefore possible in order to obtain the structure needed for the wines to age. Consequently, an ageing time of at least 6 months is essential to encourage the tannin-anthocyanin combinations needed to stabilise the colour and coat the tannins, thus making them softer.

Notwithstanding the important role played by the trade in Bordeaux as regards the reputation and renown of the controlled designation of origin, the large estates, several of which were included in the Bordeaux Wine Classification of 1855, contributed significantly to the wine’s renown and to the dissemination of its image. Alongside these celebrated chateaus, small and medium-sized estates, family businesses and cooperatives played a large part in achieving recognition of the specific characteristics of this designation in Médoc through the use of specific terms such as cru paysan [farmer’s wine] and cru artisan [artisanal wine].

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

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 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 1 January 2021: Cissac-Médoc, Pauillac, Saint-Sauveur, Saint-Seurin-de-Cadourne and Vertheuil.

Legal framework

National legislation

Type of further condition

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition

Wines may specify on their labels the broader geographical unit ‘Vin de Bordeaux – Médoc’ or ‘Grand Vin de Bordeaux – Médoc’. The size of the letters for the denomination must not be larger, either in height or width, than two-thirds the size of the letters in which the name of the controlled designation of origin is written.

Link to the product specification

http://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-93ceee01-eb46-4a2b-a4e3-3f5a1eaf13be

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