Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27
Date: 2025-06-26
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








C_202503569EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/3569


26.6.2025






Publication of the communication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a geographical indication in accordance with Article 5(4) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 (1)

(C/2025/3569)

COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

(Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143)



                     ‘Fronsac’
                  


PDO-FR-A1103-AM01 – 10.4.2025
                  

1.   Name of product


               ‘Fronsac’
            
2.   Geographical indication type

☒ Protected designation of origin (PDO)
☐ Protected geographical indication (PGI)
☐ Geographical indication (GI)
3.   Sector

☐ Agricultural products
☒ Wines
☐ Spirit drinks
4.   Country to which the geographical area belongs

France
5.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Conseil des vins de Fronsac [Fronsac Wine Board]
6.   Qualification as standard amendment

The French authorities consider the application to meet the requirements of Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 and (EU) 2024/1143.
The amendments to the product specification are standard amendments according to the definition laid down in Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143.
The application for an amendment to the ‘Fronsac’ PDO does not involve any of the three situations constituting a Union amendment, specifically it does not:






(a)


include a change in the name or in the use of the name, or in the category of product or products designated by the geographical indication;










(b)


risk voiding the link to the geographical area;










(c)


entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product. The French authorities therefore consider that the application is for a standard amendment.




7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)

1.   Geographical area

The geographical area has been updated on the basis of the INSEE 2024 Official Geographic Code.
The geographical area for the ‘Fronsac’ PDO has been corrected to include parcels BM 42 and BM 68 in the municipality of Galgon, which were omitted in the original version of the ‘Fronsac’ PDO specification approved by Decree No 2009-1274 of 20 October 2009.
This amendment affects the ‘Demarcated geographical area’ section of the single document.
2.   Demarcated parcel area

An error with respect to a date has been corrected.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
3.   Area in immediate proximity

As certain parcels in Galgon are in the ‘Fronsac’ PDO geographical area, they cannot be located in its area in immediate proximity. The wording of this section has simply been amended by replacing ‘Galgon’ with ‘part of the territory of the municipality of Galgon’ and excluding certain parcels that are in the geographical area.
This amendment affects the ‘Further conditions’ section of the single document.
4.   Vine varieties

The purpose of this amendment is to adapt the products to climate change. The Malbec variety is perfectly suited to the increase in temperatures seen in Gironde. This late variety ripens better in the late season and helps to counterbalance the Merlot, the alcoholic strength of which has been increasing with climate change.
Yearly tastings have confirmed that this change does not substantially alter the products’ organoleptic characteristics.
The section on the link has also been amended.
This amendment affects the ‘Wine grape varieties’ and ‘Link’ sections of the single document.
5.   Training method

A requirement for dead vines to be removed from the parcels has been added.
The description of the area that can undergo chemical weed control has been amended. It is now expressed as 30 cm on either side of the vine row.
A requirement has been added to calculate the treatment frequency index.
These changes address societal and environmental challenges. They allow full advantage to be taken of the environmentally friendly practices put in place by operators.
These amendments do not affect the single document.
6.   Blending

The text concerning blending has been amended to remove a repetition. This amendment aims to make the product specification easier to understand.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
7.   Analytical standards

The analytical standards for packaged wines (volatile acidity and total sulphur dioxide content) have been deleted in order to apply the standards laid down in European legislation.
This amendment affects the ‘Description of the wine(s)’ section of the single document.
8.   Ageing

The ageing period has been reduced by 2,5 months, lasting until 1 June of the year following the harvest.
The aim of this amendment is to produce fruitier wines. This will also make it possible to supply the market during the summer period and to diversify the range of wines by offering cuvée wines aged in barrels for one year or more, and fruity wines aged in vats. In this way, the wines can be supplied to large retailers and satisfy growing tourist demand in the region.
Yearly tastings have confirmed that this change has a minimal impact on the products’ organoleptic characteristics.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
9.   Date of placing on the market for sale to the consumer

After ageing, the wines are placed on the market for sale to the consumer from 30 June of the year following the year of harvest.
This amendment follows the reduction in the length of the ageing period and has no impact on the product.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
10.   Date for circulation between authorised warehouses

This rule has been removed from the specification in order to allow wines to circulate between all operators and to remove any risk of unfair competition.
This amendment does not affect the single document.
11.   Link

A sentence has been added in line with the amendment to the rules on blending and the addition of Cot N as a main grape variety.
The length of the ageing period has also been amended.
These amendments affect the ‘Link with the geographical area’ section of the single document.
12.   Transitional measures

The transitional measures that had expired – concerning operations outside certain areas, vine varieties and training methods – have been deleted.
This amendment aims to make the product specification easier to read.
These amendments do not affect the single document.
13.   References

The contact details of the National Institute of Origin and Quality (Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité, INAO) have been updated.
The arrangements for inspecting the product specification have been amended.
These amendments do not affect the single document.
SINGLE DOCUMENT
1.   Name(s)

Fronsac
2.   Type of geographical indication

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







1.


Wine




3.1.   Combined Nomenclature code







—


22 – BEVERAGES, SPIRITS AND VINEGAR

                        2204  – Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wines; grape must other than that of heading 2009




4.   Description of the wine(s)

The wine is a still, dry red wine. The wines have a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 11 %. After enrichment, the wines’ total alcoholic strength by volume must not exceed 13,5 %. Every batch of wine sold (in bulk or packaged) has a malic acid content of no more than 0,30 grams per litre. Every batch of wine sold (in bulk or packaged) has a fermentable sugar content (glucose and fructose) of no more than 3 grams per litre. Every batch of wine sold (in bulk) has a volatile acidity level less than or equal to 13,26 milliequivalents per litre, or 0,79 g per litre expressed in acetic acid (0,65 g per litre expressed in H2SO4). Every batch of wine sold (in bulk) has a total sulphur dioxide content less than or equal to 140 mg per litre. The total acidity is that laid down by EU legislation. The wine is produced using the Merlot N variety, often accompanied by the Cabernet Franc N and Cabernet Sauvignon N varieties, which provide freshness and structure, increasing the wines’ ageing potential and aromatic complexity. The Malbec variety is the fourth most planted variety behind the Merlot, the Cabernet Franc and the Cabernet Sauvignon. It too thrives in calcareous, clay-gravel or clay-limestone soils. Together with the Merlot and the Cabernets it gives the wine greater tannic breadth, with aromas of small black fruits and liquorice. The wines are intense in colour, with purple or ruby tints. They have a powerful nose with aromas of red fruit, accompanied often by truffle notes and sometimes by gamey or mineral notes, depending on the nature of the soil. Their texture combines robustness with elegance, making them very well suited to ageing. The other analytical values comply, by default, with the EU legislation.
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.   Winemaking practices

5.1.   Specific oenological practices

Subtractive enrichment techniques are permitted up to a concentration rate of 15 %. After enrichment, the wines’ total alcoholic strength by volume must not exceed 13,5 %. In addition to the above provisions, the oenological practices adopted for the wines must comply with the obligations laid down in EU legislation and in the Rural and Fisheries Code.
Cultivation method
The minimum vine planting density is 5 000 plants per hectare. The spacing between vine rows must not exceed 2 metres, and the spacing between plants in the same row must be at least 0,80 metres.
Pruning is carried out at the unfolded leaves stage (Lorenz stage 9) at the latest, using the following techniques: single or double Guyot pruning, spur (short) pruning (cordon or fan pruning), or cane (long) pruning with a maximum of 12 buds per plant. Under no circumstances may the canes overlap.
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.
5.2.   Maximum yields

65 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 20 February 2024: Fronsac, La Rivière, Saillans, Saint-Aignan, Saint-Germain-de-la-Rivière and Saint-Michel-de-Fronsac, and in part of the territory of the municipality of Galgon (comprising cadastral parcels BM 42, BM 67, BM 68, BN 24, BN 25, BN 26, BN 27, BN 28, BN 29, BN 30, BN 31, BN 32, BN 33, BN 81 and BN 87).
7.   Wine grape varieties

Cabernet Franc N
Cabernet Sauvignon N
Carmenère N
Cot N – Malbec
Merlot N
Petit Verdot N
8.   Description of the link(s)

a)   Description of the natural factors relevant to the link
The geographical area of the ‘Fronsac’ protected designation of origin is located on the right bank of the River Dordogne where it meets the River Isle. This area is located in the north-east of the department, separated from Libourne to the east by the Isle valley.
The area has a temperate maritime climate with moderate differences in temperature that favour winegrowing, as is the case throughout Gironde’s Atlantic coastline. The maritime climate is unpredictable, in some years resulting in periods of rain and low pressure in autumn, or, conversely, in hot and very sunny late seasons. This variability creates a notable ‘vintage effect’.
The rather steep hillsides and the proximity of the two rivers, the Dordogne and the Isle, help to protect the vines against frost and the build-up of cold air. The terrain is rugged, and marked by numerous rocky elevations known as tertres [hillocks]. The largest of these is the 76-metre-high Tertre de Fronsac, which overlooks the Dordogne and Isle valleys and provides views of Pomerol and Saint-Emilion a few kilometres away.
The parcels intended for grape harvesting form part of a precisely demarcated area which excludes alluvial areas in the lower Isle and Dordogne valleys, meaning vines are grown only on the hillsides. The vineyards are located mainly on the molassic slopes (made of ‘molasses du Fronsadais’ rock) – which are characterised by sand of varying coarseness, sometimes accompanied by sandstone, or sandy clay where calcareous brown soils have formed – and on the plateau, which sits on ‘Calcaire à Astéries’ [starfish limestone], resulting in clay-limestone soils or clay-sandy soils. ‘Castillon’ limestone forms an overhang, mostly covered in trees, that runs the length of the plateau along the Dordogne.
The geographical area covered by the ‘Fronsac’ protected designation of origin thus includes six municipalities in the department of Gironde and some parcels of land in the municipality of Galgon.
The landscape is typical of the winegrowing landscapes of Libourne, comprising hillsides covered in vineyards, sometimes terraced, and outlined by a wooded white limestone overhang above the Dordogne and the Isle. The vineyards are punctuated by villages of limestone houses with tiled roofs and Romanesque churches, some of which date back to the 11th and 12th centuries. Magnificent winegrowing châteaux, which speak to the vibrant history of the protected designation of origin, look down on the Dordogne valley from the hilltops.
b)   Description of the human factors relevant to the link
Vine cultivation was introduced during the Roman occupation. Later, convinced of the strategic military position of the Tertre de Fronsac, Charlemagne built one of the strongest fortresses in the region on former Gallo-Roman fortifications, calling it Franciacus [camp of the Francs], from which the name of the region originates.
In the 18th century, Louis-François Armand du Plessis, known as ‘Fronsac’ and great-grandnephew of Cardinal Richelieu and the Marshal Duke of Richelieu, inherited the Duchy of Fronsac and advocated the use of its wines at the court of Versailles. He built a folly on top of the Tertre de Fronsac, which can still be admired today.
In the second half of the 18th century, prominent citizens of nearby Libourne settled on the slopes overlooking the Dordogne. They perfected the winegrowing activity and produced renowned wines, making these hillsides, according to Professor Henri Enjalbert, ‘the historic cradle of the great Libournais wines’ (Enjalbert, H. – Les Grands Vins de Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac [The great wines of Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac] – 1983). As was the case for all Libournais wines, the port of Libourne and its traders were actively involved in the trade and distribution of ‘Fronsac’ wines during that period and throughout the 19th century.
The red wines from this region, originally recognised under the ‘Côtes de Fronsac’ protected designation of origin by Decree of 4 March 1937, were recognised under the ‘Fronsac’ protected designation of origin by Decree of 21 September 1976 at the request of the wine-growers’ union.
For several decades, the municipality’s agricultural area has been largely devoted to vine cultivation. Production remains a family business, with farms having an average area of around 6 hectares. In 2009, the vineyards of the ‘Fronsac’ protected designation of origin covered 818 hectares, with an average annual production of 40 000 hectolitres. The vineyards produce still red wines using the Merlot N variety, which is well suited to the clay-limestone slopes, where it ripens well. This variety is often combined with the Cabernet Franc N and Cabernet Sauvignon N varieties, which provide freshness and structure, increasing the ageing potential and aromatic complexity of these wines. The Malbec variety is the fourth most planted variety behind the Merlot, the Cabernet Franc and the Cabernet Sauvignon. It too thrives in calcareous, clay-gravel or clay-limestone soils. Together with the Merlot and the Cabernets it gives the wine greater tannic breadth, with aromas of small black fruits and liquorice. The wines are intense in colour, with purple or ruby tints. They have a powerful nose with aromas of red fruit, accompanied often by truffle notes and sometimes by gamey or mineral notes, depending on the nature of the soil. Their texture combines robustness with elegance, making them very well suited to ageing. The old Bordeaux varieties of Carmenère N and Petit Verdot N (each up to a maximum of 10 %) may supplement the above vine varieties.
For centuries ‘Fronsac’ has been a winegrowing area recognised for its qualities. Given its location at the confluence of two rivers, the Dordogne and the Isle, water is omnipresent. This helps to create a mesoclimate that reduces the risk of night-time frost in the spring while limiting the heat during the summer.
The well-established demarcated parcel area includes parcels situated on the limestone plateaus, whose permeability ensures good drainage, and on the molassic slopes, where the gradient enables the run-off of surface water. The parcels located on modern alluvial deposits (known as palus) by the river are excluded.
In order to preserve the characteristics of the soils, which are a fundamental factor, no substantial alterations may be made to the shape or contours of the landscape or the natural pedological sequence of the parcels intended for the production of wines under the protected designation of origin, nor may exogenous soil be added to parcels classified within the demarcated parcel area. In addition, grass must be grown on the headlands – the strips of vegetation around the parcels – in order to limit erosion and surface run-off, which is important in hillside areas. These demarcated parcels ensure optimum development of the local vine varieties selected over time, in particular Merlot N, which is especially well suited to clay-limestone hillsides. Since the 17th and 18th centuries, these varieties, cultivated in a maritime climate, have required the use of échalas [support poles], combined with general trellising and rigorous pruning, to ensure a well-distributed grape harvest and sufficient leaf area for photosynthesis and optimum ripeness. 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.
As a result of production expertise, optimal ripeness conditions and the historical need for suitability for long-distance transport, the wines have a structure that allows them to keep well and thus have an excellent capacity for ageing. The wines are aged at least until 1 June of the year following the harvest, allowing the combination of tannins and anthocyanins to stabilise and thus improve. This gives the wines more roundness and allows for improved development before they are marketed to consumers.
Part of the Libournais landscape, this region has gained a reputation over time, despite enduring difficult winegrowing crises. By maintaining a strict demarcation of parcels and practices resulting from traditional methods, producers preserve the originality of the ‘Fronsac’ protected designation of origin and its reputation as one of the great Bordeaux wines.
9.   Essential further conditions (packaging, labelling, other requirements)

Legal framework:
National legislation
Type of further condition:
Additional provisions relating to labelling
Description of the condition:
The broader geographical unit ‘Vin de Bordeaux’ or ‘Grand Vin de Bordeaux’ may appear on labels or receptacles and in any brochures. The name of the broader geographical unit must be printed in letters no larger, either in height or in width, than two thirds of the size of the letters forming the name of the protected designation of origin.
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 making, developing and ageing the wines, comprises the territory of the following municipalities of the department of Gironde, on the basis of the Official Geographic Code in force on 20 February 2024: Libourne, Lugon-et-l’Ile-du-Carnay and Villegouge, and part of the territory of the municipality of Galgon (excluding cadastral parcels BM 42, BM 67, BM 68, BN 24, BN 25, BN 26, BN 27, BN 28, BN 29, BN 30, BN 31, BN 32, BN 33, BN 81 and BN 87).

Link to the product specification


https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/boagri/document_administratif-ec889b8c-f274-4bd1-bcb4-76af5a0f9621



(1)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 of 30 October 2024 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council with rules concerning the registration and the protection of geographical indications, traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms and repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (OJ L, 2025/27, 15.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/27/oj).


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/3569/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)