Appellation
Montravel
Identity card
AOPWhiteRed
South West France · Recognised on 31 July 1937
Key points
- Dry whites and reds; sweet wines belong to other AOCs.
- Reds: at least 50% Merlot, long ageing including 3 months in bottle.
- At least 5,000 vines/ha; no oak pieces, no added tannin.
Grape varieties
White
SémillonSauvignon BlancSauvignon Gris (grape entry not yet written)Muscadelle
Accessory varieties: Ondenc (10% at most of the holding's vines)
Sémillon · at least 25% of the holding's vines
Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris · at least 25% of the holding's vines
Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle · at least 50% of the blend
At least two principal grapes per wine
Red
Merlot · at least 50% of the holding's vines
At least two grapes per wine, Merlot among them
Production rules
58
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
5,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: Reds: until at least 31 March, second year after harvest; 3 months in bottle
- 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 147 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 96 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 147 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: A plateau cut by the Estrop and Lidoire valleys
- Soils: Clay-limestone on starfish limestone; molasse
- Climate: Oceanic, about 100 km from the Atlantic
Wine style
- White
- tropical notes
- lively
- aged on fine lees
- Red
- very deep colour
- black fruit
- then vegetal and spice
- well-ripened tannins
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
17 October 2014
Specification approved by decree no. 2011-1277 of 11 October 2011 (JORF no. 0238 of 13 October 2011), amended by decree no. 2014-1202 of 17 October 2014 (JORF of 19 October 2014). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 31 July 1937 for white wines and by the decree of 23 November 2001 for red wines.
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Montravel »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
Fifteen communes in the west of the Dordogne, between the Dordogne valley and the Landais forest. The appellation covers dry whites, blended from at least two principal grapes (Sémillon, the Sauvignons, Muscadelle), and, since 2001, Merlot-led reds aged at least until 31 March of the second year after the harvest, three months of it in bottle. Côtes de Montravel and Haut-Montravel, for sweet wines, are separate AOCs.
Mini-challenge
Montravel
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