Appellation
Saussignac
Identity card
AOPSweet
South West France · Recognised on 28 April 1982
Key points
- Sweet: over 68 g/l of sugar, at least 17% natural alcohol.
- Hand-picked in passes; noble rot or drying on the vine; no enrichment.
- At most 25 hl/ha; aged at least until 31 October of the following year.
Grape varieties
Sweet
SémillonSauvignon BlancSauvignon Gris (grape entry not yet written)Muscadelle
Accessory varieties: Chenin Blanc, Ondenc, Ugni Blanc (10% at most of the holding's vines)
Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle · at least 50% of the blend
Production rules
25
hl/ha
Maximum yield
17
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
5,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 31 October 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: 25 hl/ha to 50 hl/ha across 5 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: 12 % ABV to 17 % ABV across 5 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 6,500 vines/ha across 5 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: Plateaus sloping to the Dordogne, some steep sides
- Soils: Clayey molasse and lake limestone
- Climate: Tempered oceanic; morning mists, dry afternoons
Wine style
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
24 April 2017
Specification approved by decree no. 2011-1183 of 23 September 2011 (JORF no. 0224 of 27 September 2011), amended by decree no. 2013-437 of 27 May 2013, then by the order of 24 April 2017 (JORF of 3 May 2017; BO-Agri of 4 May 2017). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 28 April 1982.
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Saussignac »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
A sweet white wine from four communes of the Dordogne, on the river's left bank, west of Monbazillac, from which the Gardonnette valley separates it. The grapes, mostly Sémillon, the Sauvignons and Muscadelle, are hand-picked in successive passes once overripe, concentrated by noble rot or by drying on the vine. Enrichment of any kind is forbidden and the wine keeps more than 68 g/L of sugar.
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Saussignac
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