Terroir 2006 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Pedological criteria according to the French hierarchy of vintages, Appellations d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC): study of two toposequences located in the Burgundian “Côte”

Pedological criteria according to the French hierarchy of vintages, Appellations d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC): study of two toposequences located in the Burgundian “Côte”

Abstract

The concept of terroir is defined by a set of natural and human factors. On the slopy vineyards of the Burgundian « Côte », the « Appellations d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) » spread out according to the slope in their order of quality : « AOC Grand Cru » at the top, « AOC Premier Cru » and « AOC Village » and « Bourgogne » on the piemont. In order to correlate the hierarchy of the vintages with the evolution of the topographic and pedological criteria, two toposequences were studied, in Gevrey Chambertin (« Côte de Nuits ») and Aloxe Corton (« Côte de Beaune »). Each profile was described according to STIPA 2000 guidelines, and was sampled for micro-morphological observations and physicochemical analyses. Such division of the vineyard expresses the character of the wines, according to two different lithologies, on which rendosols are established on the top of the flanks : hard limestones of Bathonian (« Côte de Nuits ») and marls of Oxfordian (« Côte de Beaune »). The soils on marls are less coloured and more calcareous than the others. On the slope and piemont, deeper, more or less calcareous soils develop on colluvial and others weathered materials. The permeability of the soils, which depends on the stoniness and the texture, is higher upstream than downstream. If the permeability is a prevailing factor in the classification of the AOC, the chemical factors have a more shaded impact : the total limestone content is maximal on the top of toposequences on the « AOC Grand Cru »; organic matter content tends to decrease downsteam, whereas the soil CEC is higher in the piemont.

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2006

Type: Article

Authors

Jean LEVEQUE, Edith TOULEMONDE and Francis ANDREUX

UMR INRA 1229 Microbiologie et Géochimie des Sols, Centre des Sciences de la Terre,
Université de Bourgogne, 6 boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France

Contact the author

Keywords

terroir, AOC, hierarchy, toposequence, permeability

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2006

Citation

Related articles…

The landscape in the development of vineyard regions: an application to the ACO Dão and ACO Bairrada (Central Portugal)

The aim of this paper is to analyse the impact of landscapes in the notoriety and marketing of wines and in tourism promotion, specifically in the case of two centenary Portuguese demarcated regions

First disclosure of eugenol precursors in Vitis genus: analytical development and quantification

The main aim of this work was to develop an analytical method to disclosure the
molecular form of eugenol precursor. Indeed eugenol is an important contributor to
Armagnac spirits typicity made with Baco blanc.

The Hungarian system of geographical indications and the preparation of product specifications

Following the 2008-2009 reform of the European Union’s common market organisation in wine all protected designations of origin and geographical indications were imposed to prepare a product specification that described the conditions of their use. In this paper, we describe this process and the Hungarian system of geographical indications.

Importance of the Terror Variability Map (TVM) in Precision viticulture (PV): choice of methodology for soil classification

The Precision Viticulture (PV) is defined “as a management system that is information and technology based, is site specific and uses one or more of the following sources of data: soils, vigour, nutrients, pests, moisture, and yield among others, for optimum profitability, sustainability, and protection of the environment” (OIV, 2018, in process). The elements mentioned in the definition are an important part of the terroir components. The terroir is a tool In Viticulture, it is the analysis and study unit, and the variability of a certain situation can be due to any difference in every element or property of each factor that constitutes it, including the management.The soil and its management are those that bring the most variability to terroir.

Valorisation of integrated research on vineyard soils. Adaptation to the Val de Loire vineyard

La mise en valeur d’un terroir au travers du vin signifie dans un premier temps le respect du cahier des charges de l’A.O.C correspondante. Dans un second temps, elle sous-entend d’être à l’écoute des évolutions scientifiques, techniques et sociétales afin de satisfaire une production plus respectueuse de l’environnement et de la santé des hommes. Les recherches effectuées par l’Unité Vigne et Vin du centre INRA d’Angers ont débouché sur le concept d’UTB, Unité Terroir de Base (R.Morlat). UTB définit une aire de terrain ou le fonctionnement de la vigne est homogène en tous points.