Now—as of December 2022—it seems like the grape modifications are marching onward, as three appellations located on Bordeaux’s Left Bank—Médoc AOC, Haut-Médoc AOC and Listrac-Médoc AOC—have embraced the changes as well.
These three appellations are all approved for red wines only (although there are rumors that the Médoc AOC may soon adopt the production of white wines). As such, the classic list of red Bordeaux grapes in these appellations—Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Verdot, and Carmenère—has been supplanted with Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, and Touriga Nacional.
As is true with the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur AOCs, the new grapes are allowed to comprise a maximum of 5% of the vineyard area of any estate and no more than 10% of the final blend of any wine. Besides these limitations (and the still-concise list of approved grapes), the wines of all three appellations—Médoc AOC, Haut-Médoc AOC and Listrac-Médoc AOC—have no other rules concerning the number (or amounts) of grapes in the blend.
Stay tuned! More changes are in the works.
Note: As with all such updates, this change will need to wind its way through EU authorization; however, as the government of France has granted their approval, the changes are considered to be in force. If the EU fails to approve the amendment, the regulation will be rescinded.
References/for more information:
- Cahier des Charges Medoc AOC-Dec 2022
- Cahier des Charges Haut-Medoc AOC-Dec 2022
- Cahier des Charges Listrac-Medoc AOC-Dec 2022
Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org