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Val de Loire · Loire du Massif central · White, red and rosé

Saint-Pourçain — terroir, soils & grape varieties

A very old Bourbonnais vineyard, once served at royal tables, Saint-Pourçain grows an indigenous white grape, tressallier. On the hillsides of the Allier, it crafts distinctive whites and gamay-pinot blend reds.

A Royal Vineyard of the Bourbonnais

Around Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, south of Moulins, across nineteen communes in the Allier, this vineyard of the Bourbonnais Limagne was one of the most renowned in France during the Middle Ages. Granted AOC status in 2009, it produces all three colours and grows an ampelographic treasure: tressallier, an indigenous white grape.

Terroir and Style

Three main soil types — sand and gravel, clay-limestone and granite — make up the terroir, between 250 and 400 metres in altitude. The whites blend chardonnay and tressallier for dry, lively, supple wines; the reds, a mandatory blend of gamay and pinot noir, are fine, fairly light, with fruity notes, and can be cellared for a few years.

The grape varieties of Saint-Pourçain

Tressallier →white — indigenous variety (20–40%), vivacity and typicity
Chardonnay →white — the main variety (≥ 50%)
Gamay & pinot noir →reds — mandatory blend
Buy a Saint-Pourçain →
Sources: Wikipédia — Saint-Pourçain (AOC)