Terroir 2006 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Geological characterization of plot belonging to the left bank terraces terroir of the Gaillac vineyard (Tarn, Midi-Pyrénées). Consequences on determination of choice of vegetative material

Geological characterization of plot belonging to the left bank terraces terroir of the Gaillac vineyard (Tarn, Midi-Pyrénées). Consequences on determination of choice of vegetative material

Abstract

Detailed geological analyses of a plot belonging to the « AOC Gaillac » area have been carried out. This plot belongs to the left bank terraces of the Tarn River which coinciding with one of the three main terroirs of the AOC area. It is localised on the rissian-aged (≈ 200 000 yrs B.P.) terrace composed of alluvial shelves crosscut by small valleys where the Oligocene (ca. 28 My) marly molassic basement outcrops. It spatially coincides with the terrace slope on which typical luvisols have developed composed by an eluvial silty-sandy horizon (up to 60 cm) overlying an illuvial pebble-sand level (up to 3 m) where clays and ferrous oxides are moderately accumulated. The slope terrace appears to be a unit with great potential for production of high quality wine because of its high topographic gradient combined with the thick permeable pebble-sand sequence, both triggering a high drainage coefficient. Further, combination of physical and chemical results – acidic pH and very low CEC – permits to select Gravesac rootstock adapted to well-drained acidic soils and Syrah/Fer Servadou climatic-adapted grapevine varieties as the most suitable vegetative material.

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2006

Type: Article

Authors

Pierre COURJAULT-RADE (1), Marguerite MUNOZ (1), Eric MAIRE (1) and Nicolas HIRISSOU (2)

(1) Laboratoire des Mécanismes de Transferts en Géologie (LMTG), UMR 5563 CNRS, 14, avenue E. Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
(2) Domaine du Moulin, chemin de Bastié, 81600 Gaillac, France

Contact the author

Keywords

AOC Gaillac, geology, morphology, vegetative material, terroir effect

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2006

Citation

Related articles…

Correlations between sensory characteristics and colloidal content in dry white wines

Must clarification is an important step occurring just after grape extraction in the elaboration of white wine, consisting in a solid-liquid separation. Traditionally, low must turbidity, around 50-150 NTU, is generally reached in white winemaking in order to prevent reductive aromas and facilitating alcoholic fermentation. Alternatively, a higher turbidity (300 NTU or above) can be sought for reasons such as a better expression of grapes identity (terroir), or for getting a must matrix that could supposedly lead to wines having greater ageing potential.

New fungus-resistant grapevine varieties display high and drought-independent thiol precursor levels

The use of varieties tolerant to diseases is a long-term but promising option to reduce chemical input in viticulture. Several important breeding programs in Europe and abroad are starting to release a range of new hybrids performing well regarding fungi susceptibility and wine quality.

PROBING GRAPEVINE-BOTRYTIS CINEREA INTERACTION THROUGH MASS SPECTROMETRY IMAGING

Plants in their natural environment are in continuous interaction with large numbers of potentially pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms. Depending on the microbe, plants have evolved a variety of resistance mechanisms that can be constitutively expressed or induced. Phytoalexins, which are biocidal compounds of low to medium molecular weight synthesized by and accumulated in plants as a response to stress, take part in this intricate defense system.1,2
One of the limitations of our knowledge of phytoalexins is the difficulty of analyzing their spatial responsiveness occurring during plant- pathogen interactions under natural conditions.

Soil functional characteristics for qualitative Sangiovese wine production in Tuscany (Italy)

Le but de ce travail est de faire une synthèse des résultats de plusieurs années de recherche en Italie centrale, sur les caractéristiques fonctionnelles du sol pour la production de vin de qualité. Le cépage de référence est le Sangiovese

Terroir effects on the response of Tempranillo grapevines to irrigation in four locations of Spain: grape and must composition

This work discusses the effects of soil and weather conditions on the grape composition of cv. Tempranillo in four different locations of Spain, during the 2008-2011 seasons.