Appellation
Bourgueil
Identity card
VillageAOPRedRosé
Loire Valley › Touraine · Recognised on 31 July 1937
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- At most 55 hl/ha, at least 10.5% natural alcohol.
- North of the Loire, just upstream of where the Vienne joins it.
- Cabernet Franc is called "breton" here.
Grape varieties
RedRosé
Accessory varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon (10% at most of the holding's vines)
Cabernet Franc makes up most of any blend; never Cabernet Sauvignon alone
Production rules
55
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
4,500
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
- 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 69 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 12.5 % ABV across 67 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 76 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: South-facing, forest-capped slope; terraces and "montilles"
- Soils: Turonian chalk on the slope; sand and gravel below
- Climate: Milder and drier than the rest of Touraine
Wine style
- Red
- dark ruby to garnet
- red and black fruit
- present, rounded tannins
- elegant
- Rosé
- small red and white fruit
- fresh, fairly intense
- sometimes citrus, pepper
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
29 November 2023
Arrêté du 29 novembre 2023 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'AOC « Bourgueil » (AGRT2329447A), JORF n°0284 du 8 décembre 2023, texte n°16 (BO du 14 décembre 2023). Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 31 juillet 1937.
Labelling terms
- The geographical name "Val de Loire" may be added
- The name of a registered lieu-dit may appear on the label
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Bourgueil »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO)
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Bourgueil » (BO n° 50 du 14 décembre 2023)— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
North of the Loire, a few kilometres upstream of its confluence with the Vienne, Bourgueil spans seven communes of Indre-et-Loire (eight historic ones) at the north-western end of the Touraine vineyard. The appellation makes still reds and rosés from Cabernet Franc, known locally as "breton", with no more than 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines step down from a forest-capped tuffeau chalk slope to the sandy-clay or sandy-gravel terraces and low mounds at its foot: the specification links the latter to fruity reds with supple tannins, the former to fuller, more structured reds.
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