We’ve seen quite a few revisions to the regulations concerning the wines of Bordeaux recently. Beginning in 2021, the rules of the AOC wines of Bordeaux were modified to approve six accessory grapes—four red (Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan, Touriga Nacional) and two white (Albariño and Lilorila) varieties—for limited use in the wines of the Bordeaux AOC and the Bordeaux Supérieur AOCs.
A bit later (in December of 2022), three other appellations—the Médoc, Haut-Médoc, and Listrac-Médoc AOCs—embraced the changes as well and are now allowed to include small amounts of the four red grapes in their vineyards and wines.
As of this month (July 2023), the Margaux AOC has published a revision to the Cahier des Charges as well. The Margaux AOC has not accepted the entire list of accessory grapes, but rather has approved the use of just one—Castets (noir)—which will be limited to 5% of an estate’s total vineyard acreage and a maximum of 10% of the final blend in any given wine.
Castets is a red grape variety believed to be native to Bordeaux. In decades prior, it was fairly widely planted throughout Southwestern France. These days, it is considered something of a “forgotten” variety—but is acknowledged for its resiliency and its resistance to downy mildew. Castets is considered to be a VIFA/variété à fin d’adaptation (variety of interest for the purpose of adaptation) that could prove responsive to the challenges of climate change and is believed to be able to produce wines consistent with the typicity of red wine from the Margaux appellation. (As described in the cahier des charges, cette variété présente une aptitude à produire des vins en cohérence avec la typicité du vin rouge de l’appellation Margaux.)
Margaux is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant wine. According to the updated documents (as published in the Official Journal of the EU), 60% of the total vineyard acreage is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, with another 30% planted to Merlot. Cabernet Franc and Petite Verdot round out the current plantings. It is yet to be seen where and when Castets will be planted and how it is used. (We will, of course, be watching!)
References/for more information:
- Margaux AOC-Cahier des Charges-2023
- EU Official Journal—Margaux AOC—July 2023
- https://vins-de-margaux.fr/
Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org