Appellation
Irouléguy
Identity card
AOPRedRoséWhite
South West France · Recognised on 29 October 1970
Key points
- Basque Country: terraced vines, hand-picked.
- Red: Cabernet Franc and Tannat, at least half the wine.
- White: the Mansengs and Courbus, at least two blended.
Grape varieties
Red
Accessory varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc, Tannat · at least 50% of the holding's vines
Cabernet Franc, Tannat · at least 50% of the blend
Neither Cabernet Franc nor Tannat may exceed 90% of the vines
Rosé
Cabernet FrancCabernet SauvignonTannat
Accessory varieties: Courbu, Gros Manseng, Petit Courbu, Petit Manseng (10% at most of the blend)
Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat · at least 90% of the holding's vines
White
Allowed varieties
CourbuGros MansengPetit CourbuPetit Manseng
At least two varieties in every blend
Production rules
55
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
Minimum ageing: Reds: at least until 1 February 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: Lower slopes of steep foothills, often terraced
- Soils: Red sandstone, ophite and limestone: varied soils
- Climate: Very wet; a warm south wind, the Haïze Hegoa
Wine style
- Red
- deep-coloured
- tannic, structured
- fruit, then spice
- good ageing potential
- White
- tropical fruit
- richness and acidity
- aromatic
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
27 February 2024
Order of 27 February 2024 approving the specification of the AOC “Irouléguy” (JORF no. 0050 of 29 February 2024, text no. 42; published in the Bulletin officiel of the Ministry of Agriculture on 7 March 2024). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 29 October 1970.
Labelling terms
- The larger geographical unit "Sud-Ouest" may appear
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Irouléguy »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
The vineyard of the French Basque Country, in Lower Navarre, around Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry: fifteen communes at the foot of the Pyrenees, often terraced on steep slopes. Reds and rosés rest on Cabernet Franc and Tannat, whites on the Mansengs and the Courbus. The grapes are picked by hand.
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