Appellation
Estaing
Identity card
AOPRedRoséWhite
South West France · Recognised on 4 November 1965
Key points
- Three communes below the Aubrac, terraced vines, hand-picked.
- Red and rosé: Fer and Gamay; white: Chenin and Mauzac.
- Red: at least three varieties in every blend.
Grape varieties
Red
Accessory varieties: Abouriou (grape entry not yet written), Castets, Duras, Merlot, Mouyssaguès (grape entry not yet written), Négret de Banhars (grape entry not yet written), Pinot Noir
Fer Servadou, Gamay · at least 50% of the holding's vines
Fer Servadou · at least 30% of the holding's vines
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon · at least 10% of the holding's vines
Fer Servadou, Gamay · at least 50% of the blend
At least three varieties, both principals among them; Fer over 30% of the wine
Until the 2031 harvest: 40% principals and 20% Fer are enough
Rosé
Accessory varieties: Abouriou (grape entry not yet written), Castets, Duras, Merlot, Mouyssaguès (grape entry not yet written), Négret de Banhars (grape entry not yet written), Pinot Noir
Fer Servadou, Gamay · at least 50% of the holding's vines
Fer Servadou · at least 30% of the holding's vines
Gamay · 50 to 80% of the blend
At least two varieties, one of them complementary
White
Accessory varieties: Saint-Côme (grape entry not yet written) (25% at most of the holding's vines)
Chenin Blanc · at least 50% of the holding's vines
Mauzac · at least 10% of the holding's vines
In the wine: Chenin over 50%, Mauzac over 10%, accessory under 20%
Production rules
55
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
Minimum ageing: Reds: at least until 15 March 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 148 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 14.5 % ABV across 97 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: Terraces ("bancas") on south slopes, 350 to 500 m
- Soils: Red sandstone ("rougiers"), limestone, schist
- Climate: Harsh winters, hot dry summers, mild autumns
Wine style
- Red
- red fruit
- vegetal notes
- freshness
- gentle tannins
- White
- floral
- honey after 2 or 3 years
- fresh and round
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
3 November 2011
Decree no. 2011-1440 of 3 November 2011 on the AOC “Estaing” (JORF no. 0257 of 5 November 2011, text no. 35); specification published in the Bulletin officiel of the Ministry of Agriculture. First recognised as a VDQS (the quality tier then below the AOC), “Vins d'Estaing”, by the order of 4 November 1965.
Labelling terms
- The larger geographical unit "Sud-Ouest" may appear
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Estaing »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
A vineyard in the upper Lot valley, at the foot of the Aubrac, across three communes in the Aveyron: vines at roughly 350 to 500 metres, on south-facing terraces called "bancas", picked by hand. Fer and Gamay lead the reds and rosés, Chenin and Mauzac the whites.
Mini-challenge
Estaing
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