• Introduction
• Getting There
• About the Wines
• Organic Wines
• France Index

The Wines of St. Emilion

The area of the St. Emilion wine appellation covers eight communes and a part of Libourne. It is one of the most intensely cultivated parts of Bordeaux. Estates are relatively small and it is easy to lose your way among the little lanes and the patchwork of vineyards! There are four main geological zones. The côtes is a limestone plateau around the town of St. Emilion. The plaine, around the foot of the plateau to the south towards the River Dordogne, is sandy with gravel In some places. This flat countryside was the last to be planted with wines, mainly between the two world wars. The plateau des sables, to the west and north of St. Emilion, is very sandy, and the graves, just 60 hectares in the west adjoining Pomerol, has deep layers of gravel. The best and usually the strongest wines come from the limestone plateau and the gravelly areas.

St. Emilion wines are generally full-bodied, soft and fruity. The primary grape varieties used are the Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with relatively small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon also being used by some chateaux. Saint Émilion wines were not included in the 1855 Bordeaux classification. The first formal classification in Saint-Émilion was made in 1955. Unlike the 1855 classification, it is regularly revised.
Château Ausone and Château Cheval Blanc are the only two wines currently classified as Premiers grands crus classes A (First Great Growths category A). There are then 13 Premiers grands crus classés B and 47 grands crus classés. In addition, a large number of vineyards are classified as Grand Cru.

Buying Wines

Many of the local chateaux welcome visitors to taste and buy wine (often by appointment only, and tasting fees are often charged) and there are a number of wine shops in St Emilion where you will find a good selection of the local wines. The St Emilion Tourist Office, located in the Place des Creneaux in the heart of the town, is a good place to find information on the local wine producers.
St. Emilion wines can be found on sale in just about every large supermarket and wine merchant in the UK. Prices can be on the high side, but you tend to get what you pay for, and a bottle of St. Emilion is often the perfect answer for that special meal or gift.