Appellation
Saint-Chinian
Identity card
RegionalAOPRedRoséWhite
Languedoc-Roussillon · Recognised on 5 May 1982
Key points
- White 50, rosé 54, red 45 hl/ha at most; at least 12% natural alcohol.
- 20 communes of the Hérault, between the Montagne Noire and the Béziers plain.
- Berlou and Roquebrun are both delimited on the schist.
Grape varieties
Red
CarignanCinsautGrenache NoirLledoner PelutMourvèdreSyrah
Accessory varieties: Piquepoul Noir (grape entry not yet written), Rivairenc (grape entry not yet written)
Carignan, Cinsaut, Grenache Noir, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 60% of the holding's vines
Carignan, Cinsaut · 50% at most of the holding's vines
At least 2 grapes; the principal ones are the majority of the blend
Rosé
CarignanCinsautGrenache NoirLledoner PelutMourvèdreSyrah
Accessory varieties: Piquepoul Noir (grape entry not yet written), Rivairenc (grape entry not yet written), Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Marsanne, Roussanne, Vermentino, Bourboulenc, Carignan Blanc, Clairette, Viognier
Carignan, Cinsaut, Grenache Noir, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 60% of the holding's vines
Carignan, Cinsaut · 50% at most of the holding's vines
White accessory grapes: at most 20% of the blend
White
Grenache BlancMarsanneRoussanneVermentino
Accessory varieties: Bourboulenc, Carignan Blanc, Clairette, Grenache Gris, Viognier
Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Vermentino · at least 70% of the holding's vines
Grenache Blanc · at least 20% of the holding's vines
Viognier · 10% at most of the holding's vines
At least 2 grapes, always including Grenache Blanc
Production rules
12
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
4,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: Red: to 1 January; Berlou, Roquebrun: to 15 November of the next year
- 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 14 % ABV across 79 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 136 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Soils: Schist on two thirds of the area; clay-limestone, gravel
- Lie of the land: Orb and Vernazobre valleys, below the Espinouse
- Aspect: South to south-east, shielded from the north; < 700 mm/year
Wine style
- Red
- dark to bright colour
- small red fruit
- sound tannic structure
- Rosé
- bright colour
- aromatic, easy-drinking
- drink within the year
- White
- pale colour
- tropical fruit
- citrus
- dried fruit
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
9 December 2024
Order of 9 December 2024 approving the specification of the AOC “Saint-Chinian” (JORF no. 0292 of 11 December 2024, text no. 23; BO no. 51 of 19 December 2024). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 5 May 1982; additional geographical names “Berlou” and “Roquebrun” recognised on 2 February 2005.
Labelling terms
- "Berlou": red, Carignan at least 30% of vines, 40 hl/ha
- "Roquebrun": red, at least 25% Syrah and 20% Grenache in the vines
- Berlou and Roquebrun: hand harvest, at least 12.5% natural alcohol
- The label may add the larger geographical unit "Languedoc"
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Saint-Chinian »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
Twenty communes in the north-west of the Hérault, between the Montagne Noire and the Béziers plain, on either side of the Orb and its tributary the Vernazobre. The vineyards sit on two broad groups of soils: schist, covering two thirds of the delimited area, and clay-limestone, gravel or alluvial soils. Recognised in 1982, the AOC makes reds, rosés and whites; two complementary geographical names, Berlou and Roquebrun, both in the schist sector, are reserved for reds given longer ageing.
Mini-challenge
Saint-Chinian
3 questions on Saint-Chinian, all answered right, and the appellation is mastered in your Atlas.
Preparing the mini-challenge…