LIMESTONE Soul

The secret’s in the soil — or under it, in the case of St-Emilion, where the region’s limestone bedrock plateau really does lie at the heart of the identity of many of its best wines. Discover the magic of the plateau, and the differences it makes...

- PANOS KAKAVIATOS

In recent years with warmer vintages, it has become easier to appreciate the freshening power of St-Emilion’s famous limestone plateau. The beating heart of Bordeaux's Right Bank, this geological marvel is defined by its calcium-rich, asteriated limestone (calcaire a astéries, or ‘starfish limestone’), forming the backbone of wines known for freshness, salinity and ageworthy elegance: a rocky hotspot that’s essentially grape royalty!

While the plateau stretches 17km from St-Emilion to Castillon, just 8.2km fall within the appellation. Its porous limestone beneath clay or loam acts like a sponge - draining excess moisture in wet seasons and releasing it during drought. This fosters balanced vine growth and low pH/ vibrant acidity in wines, yielding reds with notes of mint, chalk and graphite.

Historically, the western plateau near St-Emilion town centre (see map, p38, light yellow section), where top estates such as Chateaux Beau-Séjour Bécot, Canon and Clos Fourtet reside, benefited from early recognition in the 1950s classification. With its eroded quarries and thinner topsoils, it produces refined, ageworthy wines, The eastern plateau, generally cooler, with thicker soils and later harvests, is now catching up in acclaim, home to estates such as grand cru Chateau Rocheyron, grands crus classés Chateaux de Pressac and Laroque, and premier grand cru classé Chateau Valandraud.

But a tasting of 14 wines for this article (