St Emilion

 

St Emilion with it's 5.500 ha of vineyards is the biggest wine producing commune of the right bank and similarly to Pomerol, home to several micro chateaux. It's vineyards are dominated by the early ripening Merlot supplemented by Cabernet Franc (around 25% of plantings), while Cabernet Sauvignon has some minuscule part to play. The terroir is extremely varied so as the wines themselves. From a light easy going claret to a dense inky 'monster' wine that can age easily for half a century one can find everything.

There is a gravelly limestone plateau to the west of the town and a hilly area to the immediate south with clay and gravel. Further south are lands with more alluvial soil and sand due to the proximity of the river.The wines from this area are shorter lived and easier to drink. Uniquely to Bordeaux, St Emilion's classification system is not static and is revised in every 10 years from 1955 onwards.

There are 5 quality levels: the most modest Saint Emilion, for which the fruit is sourced from the lower vineyards close to the river, St Emilion Grand Cru - which, though sounds appetizing really means the average quality, - St Emilion Grand Cru Classe one step up the ladder and St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe. This last category is further subdivided into A and B ranks. See the 1855 page for full details. The best terroir that gives birth to the finest fruit is the plateau to the west as well as the hills to the immediate south of the town. As elsewhere, the vineyards close to the city benefit from it's proximity and are somewhat warmer.Ausone and Cheval Blanc are the leading properties here (the latter is made predominantly from Cabernet Franc). Because Cabernet Sauvignon is missing from the mixture, these wines generally speaking have a steeper aging curve than those on the left bank.

 

St Emilion is the prettiest town in the area.