Montagne-Saint-Émilion is an ''
Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) for wine in the
Bordeaux wine region of
France, where it is situated in the
Libourne subregion on the right bank of the
Dordogne. It was granted AOC status on 14 November 1936, and the AOC designation granted to the wines which have been harvested on the land of the
Montagne commune or in its hamlets, Parsac and Saint-Georges. of vine planted areas have belonged to the appellation in 2005, with a production of 74,130 hl.
Montagne-Saint-Émilion only produces red wine, and nearly all of the grape varieties from Bordeaux can be and are used, such as
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...
,
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...
,
Merlot
Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...
,
Côt
Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...
, etc., although it is Merlot that is used most often.
The vineyard of Montagne can be found northeast of
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion (; Gascon: ''Sent Milion'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. In 2016, it had a population of 1,938.
In the heart of the country of ''Libournais'' (the area around Libourne), in ...
, on the right bank of the Barbonne. It forms part of the "satellites" of the Saint-Émilion vineyard along with the vineyards of
Lussac-Saint-Émilion,
Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion and
Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion.
The base
yield is fixed at 45 hl/hectare with a limit of 20%. Before the
chaptalization and concentration process, the must (the residue of grapes, after the juice has been extracted) must contain a minimum of 187g/L of natural sugar. After fermentation, the wine must have a minimum alcohol level of 11% vol.
Grape varieties
Traditionally, the wines of Montagne-Saint-Émilion are a collection of different grape varieties. The three main varieties being Merlot, Cabernet Franc (or Bouchet) and Cabernet Sauvignon:
* Merlot - the most dominant grape variety, accounting for 75% of the planted area. It is a variety that ripens early, and needs cool and humid conditions, as well as soil rich in clay. It ripens well and gives wine its colour, a good alcoholic richness, a full bodied texture and is smooth and round on the palate.
* Cabernet Franc - an important element of the Libourne plantations and represents nearly 20% of the vineyards of Saint-Emilion. Of medium precocity, it is grown mostly in chalky or quite warm soils. It gives the wine an aromatic flavour, lightly spiced, with a coolness and tannic structure, giving the wine an aged flavour.
* Cabernet Sauvignon - representing around 5% of the plantations, it is a grape that is particularly adapted to warm and dry soil (gravel, sand, clay or chalky soil). It gives wine a gently spiced flavour, complex with a tannic richness, and favourable to its long and harmonious preservation.
The AOC regulations for Montagne-Saint-Émilion also allows the use of two other grape varieties: Malbec (or Côt) and
Carmenère. Only the Malbec grape is still used.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montagne-Saint-Emilion
Bordeaux AOCs