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 2023/C 339/13
Date: 2023-09-26
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: France, Loire Region, consumer information, designation of origin, labelling, product designation, quality control of agricultural products, still wine, white wine








C_2023339EN.01003401.xml










26.9.2023   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 339/34







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
(2023/C 339/13)

This communication is published in accordance with Article 17(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (1).
COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT


                     ‘Savennières Roche aux Moines’
                  


PDO-FR-A0982-AM02


Date of communication: 26.6.2023
                  


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 Code officiel géographique [Official Geographic Code].
This does not affect the boundary of the demarcated geographical area.
Points 6 and 9 of the single document have been amended.
2.   Spacing between vines

The minimum spacing between vines has been reduced from 1 m to 0,90 m.
The purpose of this amendment is to allow greater planting density without altering the spacing between the rows of vines.
A special provision has also been added for vines located on slopes where the gradient is greater than 10 %, where the authorised minimum distance between vines is 0,80 m.
This addition has been made to take into account the particular situation of vines planted on steep slopes, which require special arrangements during planting: rows parallel rather than perpendicular to the slope.
Point 5 of the single document has been amended.
3.   Pruning

The pruning rules have been aligned with those of the other designations in the Anjou Saumur area in the Loire Valley.
This alignment is intended to ensure that winegrowers are better informed, and to simplify inspections. This amendment gives winegrowers the possibility of adapting when frosts occur, which is happening later and later in the year.
Point 5 of the single document has been amended.
4.   Editorial amendments

A certain number of editorial amendments have been made to the specification.
These amendments do not require any amendments 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 used in other product specifications. This is a purely editorial amendment.
It does not lead to any changes to the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT
1.   Name(s)

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)

BRIEF WRITTEN DESCRIPTION
These are still white wines, dry, 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 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, allowing producers to make wines with good keeping qualities with fermentable sugar that over time develop a particular and complex bouquet associated with the development of Botrytis cinerea.
The other analytical criteria are in line with current EU legislation.






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)


 




Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)


 




5.   Wine-making practices

5.1.   Specific 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 forbidden. In addition to the above provisions, the oenological practices concerning these wines must meet the requirements laid down at EU 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. Spacing between vine rows must not exceed 2 metres, and spacing between plants in the same row must be at least 0,90 metres. Vineyard parcels where the spacing between plants in the same row is less than 0,90 m but greater than or equal to 0,80 m, and where the gradient is greater than 10 %, are entitled to use the controlled designation of origin for their harvest. The vines are pruned (spur pruning, cane pruning or mixed pruning) down to no more than 10 buds per plant.
At the phenological stage corresponding to 11 or 12 leaves (separate buds), the number of fruit-bearing branches for the year per plant must not exceed 8.
The height of the foliage when trellised is at least 0,6 times the spacing between the rows. This height is measured from the lowest point of the foliage, set at a minimum of 0,4 metres above the ground, to the highest part of the canopy, set at a minimum of 0,2 metres above the height of the upper 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.
5.2.   Maximum yields







1.


dry wines
35 hectolitres per hectare










2.


semi-sweet and sweet wines
30 hectolitres per hectare




6.   Demarcated geographical area

All steps in production must take place in the geographical area comprising the territory of the following municipality in the department of Maine-et-Loire, based on the 2021 Official Geographic Code: Savennières.
7.   Wine grape variety(-ies)

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. On the hills, the bedrock usually lies near the surface. 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 nuance this oceanic trait through the Foehn effect. Mean annual precipitation is 600 millimetres, in an area sheltered from 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 plays an important heat-regulating role on the nearby slopes, located below the prevailing winds, 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 were quickly adopted by other producers. In 1861, he wrote the following in the ‘Bulletin de la Société Agricole et Industrielle d'Angers’: ‘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 ‘Traité des cépages’ (‘Wine variety treatise’): ‘We should also add the condition of not harvesting the grapes until around All Saints Day, when the grapes are overripe and their skin sloughs off 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, allowing producers to make wines with good keeping qualities with fermentable sugar that over time develop a particular and complex bouquet associated with the development of Botrytis cinerea.
3.   Causal interactions
Vineyards specifically can make the best use of the exceptional characteristics of this steep slope, which looms over the Loire and is characterised by stony, thin soils. With the appropriate human intervention (spur 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 ‘Les Vins de Loire’ (‘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 wine-growing, production and ageing, comprises the territory of the following municipalities of the department of Maine-et-Loire, on the basis of the 2021 Official Geographic Code: Beaulieu-sur-Layon, Chaudefonds-sur-Layon, Rochefort-sur-Loire, Val-du-Layon (only for the 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 EU rules, may be regulated by the Member States, must not be larger, either in height or width, than twice the size of the letters forming the name of the controlled designation of origin.
The name of the controlled designation of origin may be followed by the geographical name ‘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 controlled 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 controlled designation of origin.

Link to the product specification

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-70af0d37-a07e-4a6f-b4c4-dd8f69b4f286


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