It was in the 8th century that the Breton monk Emilianus established his hermitage in the Bordeaux region. He was joined by his disciples and together they created the village to which he gave his name: Saint-Émilion. A territory with a great viticultural past, with vines planted since Roman times. On the eve of the Revolution, the Libournais was characterised by small farming units. A phenomenon that then hindered the emergence of great properties and explains the current fragmentation of the zone. It would take until the 18th century to see the arrival of a first generation of true châteaux. The wine trade flourished here, surviving notably through the Napoleonic wars. In 1884, the production area saw the creation of the first wine syndicate in France — an initiative that once again demonstrates the modern mentality of the appellation.
Indeed, in Saint-Émilion there is a desire for progress and evolution. In 1950, for the first time in the world, a quality control system through tasting was established here to best guarantee wine quality. The appellation is synonymous with a permanent quest for qualitative progress. An audit of the production tools — vineyard and winery — is carried out every five years and the wines are checked every year at the time of bottling.
40 kilometres north of Bordeaux, the Saint-Émilion and Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellations extend over 9 communes. These 5,500 hectares of vines benefit from four different soil types. A limestone plateau is found around the town, a vast silico-clay gravel terrace towards Libourne, clay-limestone slopes and valleys, and a sandy-gravelly plain. Saint-Émilion Grand Cru is renowned for its production of legendary wines — Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Figeac and Angélus. They benefit from a microclimate combining oceanic influence with that of two watercourses, the Dordogne and the Barbanne. An appellation hierarchised since 1955 into classified growths and classified growths A and B, with the classification revised every ten years.
Further east, the Lussac Saint-Émilion appellation is found. Located in the commune of Lussac, these 1,500 hectares are formed of valleys and plateaux. The limestone plateau, at the centre, is covered by a thin layer of Périgord sand. While the south of the production zone is predominantly composed of clay-limestone hillsides, the north leans towards a clay-silt dominant. Finally, the more confidential Puisseguin Saint-Émilion appellation draws the complexity of its wines from its clay-limestone soils with gravelly alluvial zones.
Whether from Saint-Émilion, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Lussac Saint-Émilion or Puisseguin Saint-Émilion, these wines all possess a magnificent ageing potential. Their aromatic bouquet is powerful and full. Subtle notes of fresh red fruits, spices and roasting are detected. On the palate, the attack is forthright and the substance powerful. Robust and refined at once, they share a velvety texture and a long finish.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, the Saint-Émilion jurisdiction is one of the most visited wine tourism destinations in the world. Its medieval village, troglodyte cellars, monolithic church and classified vineyards make this appellation far more than a simple production zone — it is an exceptional cultural and gastronomic territory. For importers and wine merchants worldwide, Saint-Émilion is one of the most commercially powerful Bordeaux appellations, benefiting from international renown comparable to that of Pauillac and Margaux.
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