Haut-Montravel

The Haut-Montravel Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) owes its identity above all to the exceptional terroir of the Montravel appellation.

The hillsides that make up the bulk of the Montravel AOC’s terroir extend eastward from those of Saint-Emilion and the Côtes de Castillon. To the west, they mark the entrance to the Bergerac wine region. These foothills of the Périgord Pourpre also form a boundary between the oceanic and continental climates. It is here, at Montravel, that the tidal bore—a surging wave that travels up the Dordogne from the ocean with each tide—comes to an end.

Spanning nearly 2,000 hectares, Montravel’s clay-limestone hillsides are highly conducive to red grape varieties: Merlot, which dominates these clay soils, along with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec—planted at high density (minimum 5,000 vines per hectare)—express in their blend the full complexity of this great terroir, recognized as AOC Montravel Red since the 2001 vintage. While this first AOC of the 21st century is exemplary for the rigor of its production standards and its resolutely “terroir”-focused approach, it is also entirely unique in terms of wine certification. It is, in fact, the first French AOC for still wine to undergo tasting for certification of each vintage after final bottling. This pioneering method guarantees consumers perfect traceability and places Montravel at the forefront of AOCs of excellence.

The wines of Haut-Montravel are white, delicate, and smooth; they are more concentrated, and sometimes even sweet. The latter, with their beautiful aromatic complexity, possess excellent aging potential.