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 283/06
Date: 2021-07-15
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, red wine, still wine, white wine








C_2021283EN.01001501.xml










15.7.2021   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 283/15






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 283/06)
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’


PDO-FR-A1012-AM02


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
2.   Geographical indication type

PDO – Protected designation of origin
3.   Categories of grapevine products







1.


Wine




4.   Description of the wine(s)

1.   Still red wine

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION
The red wines are produced from a balanced mix of vine varieties, with Cabernet Sauvignon N bringing aromas and structure, Merlot N bringing fragrance and suppleness and Cabernet Franc N, Petit-Verdot N, Malbec N and Carmenère N complementing them. When young, they frequently develop red fruit aromas coupled with spicy, roasted notes. Elegant and structured, fine and aromatic, the wines age harmoniously, with their bouquet taking on a fine smokiness. Depending on their vintage and origin, they take between 5 and 10 years to reach their peak.
Minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume: 11 %.
Total alcoholic strength by volume after enrichment: 13,5 %.
Malolactic fermentation is mandatory for the red wines.
Malic acid content: no more than 0,30 g per litre.
Fermentable sugar content: no more than 3 g per litre.
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)


 




2.   Still dry white wine

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION
The white wines are elegant and fleshy. Produced from the Semillon B vine variety, they generally take on floral notes and a natural fattiness which is still fresh. When combined with the vine varieties Sauvignon B, which brings a lively, expressive quality, and Muscadelle B, which imparts a slight muskiness, the wines often have aromas of flowers and citrus fruit, sometimes with exotic or menthol notes. The practice sometimes used of maturing the wines in barrels increases their richness and complexity after they have been aged for a number of years.
Minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume: 10,5 %.
Total alcoholic strength by volume after enrichment: 13 %.
Fermentable sugar content: no more than 4 g per litre.
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)


13,27




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.   Irrigation

Cultivation method
Irrigation during the vine growing season is permitted only if persistent drought disrupts the sound physiological development of the vines and the ripening of the grapes.
4.   Enrichment

Specific oenological practice
Subtractive enrichment techniques are permitted for the red wines up to a concentration rate of 15 %.
After enrichment, the red wines’ total alcoholic strength by volume must not exceed 13,5 %.
After enrichment, the white wines’ total alcoholic strength by volume must not exceed 13 %.
5.2.   
Maximum yields



Red wine

65 hectolitres per hectare

White wine

68 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)

Cabernet Franc N
Cabernet Sauvignon N
Carmenère N
Cot N – Malbec
Merlot N
Muscadelle B
Petit Verdot N
Sauvignon B – Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Gris G – Fié Gris
Semillon B
8.   Description of the link(s)

The geographical area of the ‘Graves’ 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’ region 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’ 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’ 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 Decree of 4 March 1937 defining the ‘Graves’ protected designation of origin, the parcel area defined for the grape harvest is divided into parcels characterised by natural sanitation, owing either to their drainage quality or to 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 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.
The stony, warm and infertile soil of this area naturally limits red wine production, but nevertheless enables the Cabernet Sauvignon N and Merlot varieties to achieve optimum ripeness, helped also by the temperature regulation resulting from the proximity of the Garonne. The wines thereby obtained have good structure and are subsequently aged as necessary in order to achieve maturity and optimum expression before being placed on the market for consumers.
The sandier soils and soils with a clayey matrix are better suited to producing the white wines covered by the designation, made mainly from the Sauvignon B and Semillon B vine varieties. These varieties provide a freshness which combines with their finesse and fruity, floral notes.
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’ 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.