Bordeaux · Section through Saint-Émilion

Saint-Émilion: limestone, then sand and clay

From the Dordogne plain up the côte, across the limestone plateau and the town, and down onto the sands and clays to the north-west. Tap a layer to read it.

Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.

Schematic: Calcaire à Astéries over Fronsadais molasse follows the standard Saint-Émilion sequence; contacts are to be checked against the BRGM 1:50,000 sheet for Libourne. Sand depth on the north-west side varies from place to place. La Rose-Pourret is placed from the estate's description (sands and deep clays on the north-west of the town, plus a newer parcel on the limestone plateau), not a survey. Ground from AWS terrain data; the town centre sits 150 m from the line.

Key to the ground

5 layers, youngest at the top

Why Saint-Émilion has two characters

On the starfish limestone, wines are fresh and finely structured; the rock stores water and lets roots go deep.
On the clays of the côte and below the sand, Merlot gets steady water and stays fleshy.
On the sands, wines are earlier, rounder and more aromatic.
The Dordogne, not the Gironde, moderates frost on the Right Bank.

Did you knowMuch of the town stands over its own quarries. The limestone dug out to build Saint-Émilion left kilometres of galleries that now serve as cellars.

In the book

Pas Mal wines on this ground

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Saint-Émilion Grand CruChâteau La Rose-Pourret

Sources: Jancis Robinson, Oxford Companion to Wine: Saint-Émilion; Château La Rose-Pourret producer notes; BRGM 1:50,000 geological map, sheet Libourne; AWS Terrain Tiles.