Appellation
Saint-Amour
Identity card
VillageAOPRed
Beaujolais · Recognised on 8 February 1946
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- A single commune, Saint-Amour-Bellevue, in Saône-et-Loire.
- At most 56 hl/ha, at least 10.5% natural alcohol; at least 6,000 vines/ha.
- Sorting is compulsory; released from 1 February after the harvest.
Grape varieties
Red wine onlyGamay
Allowed as a small share of the red wine: Aligoté, Chardonnay, Melon de Bourgogne (15% at most of the vines in each plot)
Only interplanted among the vines, and fermented with the Gamay
Production rules
56
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
6,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 15 January of the year after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 67 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 12.5 % ABV across 63 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 75 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Mont de Bessay slopes, 250 to 380 m, facing east
- Soils: Granite sand ("gore"), schist and Triassic sandstone
- Soils: Below: stony clay and silica colluvium
Wine style
- Kirsch
- red fruit and flowers
- fleshy, tender
- spice when aged
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
20 February 2024
Arrêté du 20 février 2024 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Saint-Amour » (JORF n°0049 du 28 février 2024, texte n°28). Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 8 février 1946.
Labelling terms
- A registered lieu-dit may follow the appellation name
- "Cru du Beaujolais", "Vin du Beaujolais" or "Grand Vin du Beaujolais"
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Trade bodySite officiel des vins du Beaujolais (Inter Beaujolais)— Inter Beaujolais — interprofession des vins du Beaujolais
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Saint-Amour »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
On the single commune of Saint-Amour-Bellevue, in Saône-et-Loire, a cru on the slopes of Mont de Bessay, bordering Burgundy's Mâconnais. Granite sand, schist, Triassic sandstone and piedmont colluvium give it two styles according to the specification: fleshy, tender, fruity wines to drink early, and deeper wines for keeping, scented with kirsch and spice.
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Saint-Amour
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