Tasting Notes...

Cheval-Blanc produces the richest, most beautifully balanced red wine. Château Figeac wines come nearest but in lighter, very fragrant style. The Côtes wines may not be as fruity as the Graves but can be the most perfumed and generous wines of the Bordeaux with 1 per cent more alcohol than wine from the Médoc.

The town of Saint-Emilion is situated to the east of Libourne. The nearest airpost is Bordeaux; by road, the A10 is the quickest route.
Visit www.saint-emilion.org

Below The Colline...

UNESCO World Heritage Site and wine production area par excellence. We take a look at the phenomenon that is Saint Emilion.

It was only a matter of time, really. Look at the subject of 'classic' French wines with even casual interest and one name in particular surfaces repeatedly. So it is that we finally find ourselves faced with the task of demystifying the eternal conundrum that is Saint-Emilion. 'Conundrum'. an exaggeration, surely? After all, if the French AOC system has achieved anything in its long history, then it should at least have succeeded in removing confusion and uncertainty from the regional appellations. To a degree it has, but some terroirs, like wine itself, are sufficiently complex to defy convenient definition. And variety is by no means always a bad thing, as we're about to discover.

The growth area of Saint Emilion is by any standard extensive, covering a total of no fewer than 5400 hectares of what in the grand scheme of things constitutes the right bank of the Gironde production area, but which actually overlooks the valley of the Dordogne. The most popular, western approach is from Bordeaux or Libourne, which finds the medieval town perched imperiously on its limestone plateau, master of all it surveys. Slip in from the opposite direction, however, and it's the vineyards which you'll encounter first. In tourism terms, it's perhaps less appealing, but wine-lovers will find the experience far more impressive, as lines of neatly-tended vines spread across the varied contours of the landscape for as far as the eye can see (and occasionally beyond). In addition to the town itself, there are a further seven villages set within the same AOC. No wonder there's room for a little variation.

The boundaries were originally staked out by Edward I of England (who also happened to be ruling Duke of Gascony) yet it would be another 600 years or so before the wines of Saint Emilion would be able to compete on the same international stage as those of nearby Bordeaux. Much of the blame for this thwarted ambition must go to the presence of not one but two great rivers, across which everything had to be transported by ferry, adding both complication and expense. Then there was the man-made issue of the modestly sized local chateaux compared with those of their typical Bordeaux counterparts. In terms of individual output, it was once again a case of no-contest.

The opening of the Paris-Bordeaux railway line in 1853 seemed set to have a beneficial effect on the fortunes of Saint Emilion and its winegrowers. Unfortunately, however, the classification being created by the Bordeaux wine-merchants would effectively overlook both Saint-Emilion and its diminutive neighbour Pomerol. Inevitably, by the time of the Great Exhibition of 1855 even the most successful local chateaux remained very much in the shadow of the likes of Latour, Lafitte, Marguax, etc., located in less-ancient territories little more than 30km or so further east. To their eternal credit, the producers, though, never lost heart.

After a further, particularly turbulent century (including phylloxera and two world wars), their patience and commitment were finally rewarded by the hand of fate. In the winter of 1956 the savage frosts which decimated many of the productive olive plantations of Provence did much the same for the vineyards of, among others, Saint Emilion. Though you would have been hard pressed to find a grower who thought so at the time, it was to be a blessing in disguise. Much of the terroir is clay, a far cry from what any self-respecting Cabernet-Sauvignon vine would have chosen, given the option (too often the grapes simply refused to ripen fully). Worse still, they never really hit it off with their drinking companions, the Malbec vines with which they were often required to mix. However unwelcome, an enforced restarting from scratch at least provided an opportunity to finally address such longstanding, in-built barriers to achieving true greatness for the appellation.

The subsequent replanting restricted Cabernet-Sauvignon to only those gravelly areas which were fully to its liking. Elsewhere, it was the turn of the clay-loving (or at least tolerant) Merlot, whose earlier flowering than Cabernet-Sauvignon can enable the growers to get it safely harvested before the onset of poor autumn weather can spoil things. The third variety, Cabernet-Franc, was reserved for those areas sitting more directly on limestone. Once the whole system had settled down results were dramatic, producing a whole new style of wine whose drinking qualities have since conquered the hearts (and wallets) of the world.

So where does the confusion come in all this? Saint Emilion is far from unique in being described as having not one wine but many. It could hardly be otherwise. Even today, the average size of the vineyards is a mere seven hectares, and most are independent, family-owned businesses with their own talents and aspirations. In spite (or because) of this, there's a refreshing tendency to work together for the greater good of the appellation - which doesn't alter the fact that there are good and less good areas. To say the least.

In general terms the growth area encompasses three distinct types of soil. The south-facing hillsides known collectively as the 'Côtes' account for some of the best local wines, with outstanding ageing potential. Next come the sandier areas or 'Sables', which generally produce a lighter style of wine, destined to be drunk rather younger. Finally come the smaller, more gravelly outcrops which are capable of the very highest quality results in the right hands. Which brings us to the issue of classification. Not surprisingly, there are no VDQS or vin de pays wines produced here. On an ascending scale, however, there are the numerous Grands Crus, seventy or so Grands Crus Classés, and finally the Premier Grands Crus Classées. The latter are then subdivided into Groups B and, ultimately, A - of which there are but two current holders. Of these old arch-rivals, the Château Cheval-Blanc is, geographically, at least, the more introverted, the gracious country house and its legendary vineyards being tucked away some distance from the town. An annual production of little more than 2000 cases per year adds to the mystique of what is arguably the Saint Emilion AOC's flagship estate. The Château Ausone, with good cause, would beg to differ. Named after the Roman poet Ausonius who was born nearby, the Château is far more visible and sits on the very edge of the plateau on which the town itself is sited. The final decision as to who actually gets the crown is probably as academic as it is subjective, but between them these two châteaux account for much of the peerless international reputation enjoyed (particularly in North America) by the appellation. All of which does the other producers no harm at all.

It doesn't take too long to notice that the prosperity of the town remains as firmly rooted in wine production as ever. Probably more so, in fact. The whole place is a joyous celebration of just about every conceivable aspect of the pleasure of wine discovery and enjoyment. Which may sound a little two-dimensional until you actually begin to look around, whereupon it soon becomes obvious that Saint Emilion has far more going for it than at first meets the eye. The name comes from a Breton saint who retreated here around 750AD, yet there are numerous signs of longstanding sophistication and prosperity. The site is remarkable, the town's pantiled skyline having evolved on a horseshoe-shaped limestone plateau then spreading to the natural amphitheatre below. Connecting the two levels are steeply-inclined, narrow, cobbled streets. The greatest surprise, though, lies largely hidden from view, in the form of the cavernous église monolithe, hewn from the solid rock of the plateau during the 8th-12 Centuries. Clearly visible, however, is its huge Gothic belfry, which vies for domination of the skyline with the square tower of the Tour du Roi, built by Henry Plantagenet in the 13th Century. We'll no doubt be returning to take another look at this surprising town before too long.

© Words and pictures Roger Moss
This feature first appeared in everything France magazine Issue 12

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