Soils and grape varieties: the best combinations

Different grape varieties thrive in different soils. In some cases, the right combination of grape variety, soil and climate can produce a wine with a strong, unique personality.

Chardonnay and limestone

Chardonnay is particularly fond of limestone soils in cool climates, which enable it to retain its acidity. The limestone facilitates a regular water supply, giving Chardonnay the conditions for slow ripening that favors aromatic finesse. Chalky soils are found in Champagne, but also in Burgundy.

Cabernet Sauvignon and gravel

This grape variety is a great traveler, adapting to any situation, but only expressing its finesse and personality in very specific soils. It needs warm, filtering soils to ripen harmoniously. The gravelly soils of the Gironde's left bank and those of the Libournais region on the right bank allow it to express its full potential.

Merlot and clay

Merlot is an early-ripening grape variety, so it can be planted in cooler, wetter soils. On the clayey part of Pommerol, the coolness of the soils and their high water retention capacity favor slow ripening of the grape variety, resulting in wines of great complexity.

Syrah schist and granite

Two types of soil are ideal for Syrah: granite arenas and schists. The former are found in the northern Rhône valley (Saint Joseph, Hermiage and Cornas). The latter are also found in the Rhône (Côte-Rotie), Languedoc (Faugères) and certain Roussillon terroirs. These dark soils store heat and evacuate excess water. Poor, they prevent Syrah from producing too much.

Grenache and schist

This grape variety is capable of both the best and the worst. It can produce alcoholic wines lacking in finesse and structure, but it can also produce great wines that are dense, fleshy and aromatic. This is particularly true of filtering schist soils, the best examples of which can be found in Maury and Banuyls in Roussillon, but also in Priorat in Spanish Catalonia.