Saint Emilion chateau moves into Riesling

By James Lawrence

Published: 17 December, 2021

Château Petit Val, a property based in Saint Emilion, has released two new leftfield cuvées – a pure varietal Riesling and Malbec wine.

Produced from fruit cultivated on Saint Emilion Grand Cru vineyards, the Riesling must nonetheless be labelled as a Vin de France, due to the appellation rules on permitted grape varieties. However, the 100% Malbec wine is marketed as Saint Emilion Grand Cru.

According to the estate's owners, Jean-Louis and Olivia Alloin, the echalas-trained Riesling vines are planted on three plots of 10 acres, on calcareous soils.

Meanwhile, the Malbec is grown on clay-sand terroirs and vinified in a mixture of amphorae, oak and small glass vats known as 'wineglobes'.

“This preserves the fruit character and gives enhanced aromatic complexity,” a spokesperson for Petit Val commented.

The 2019 Riesling is labelled as Orfèvre du Val, while the 2018 Malbec is named after the winemaker's daughter, Valentina.

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