COMMUNICATION OF APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT

(Article 24 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143)

‘Saint-Bris’

EU reference number: PDO-FR-A0197-AM01 – 13.7.2026

1.   Name of product

‘Saint-Bris’

2.   Geographical indication type

☑

PDO

☐

PGI

3.   Sector

☐	Agricultural products

☑

Wines

☐	Spirit drinks

4.   Country to which the geographical area belongs

France

5.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Name

Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-Food and Food Sovereignty, Directorate-General for the Economic and Environmental Performance of Enterprises

6.   Qualification as standard amendment

The French authorities consider that the application meets the requirements of Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 and (EU) 2024/1143.

The amendments to this product specification are standard amendments as defined in Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143.

The application for an amendment to the ‘Saint-Bris’ PDO does not involve any of the three situations constituting a Union amendment; specifically, it does not:

(a)	include a change in the name or in the use of the name, or in the category of product or products designated by the geographical indication;

(b)	risk voiding the link to the geographical area;

(c)	entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product.

The French authorities therefore consider the application to be for a standard amendment.

7.   Description of the approved standard amendment(s)

Title

Geographical area

Description

In Chapter I(IV)(1) of the product specification, the phrase ‘based on the 2024 Official Geographic Code’ has been added after the words ‘department of Yonne’.

This editorial amendment allows the geographical area to be identified with reference to the 2024 version of the Official Geographic Code, which is published by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), and gives the definition of the geographical area legal certainty.

The phrase ‘Maps of the geographical area can be accessed on the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) website’ has also been added.

The single document has been amended under the heading ‘Concise definition of the demarcated geographical area’.

☑	The amendment affects the single document.

Title

Demarcated parcel area

Description

The final sentence in Chapter I, Section IV(2) of the product specification has been amended to: ‘Maps of the demarcated parcel area can be accessed on the INAO website.’

Following a decision by the competent national committee, the INAO has changed its procedures and will no longer submit the maps of the demarcated parcel area to the town halls of the relevant municipalities but publish them directly on its website.

☐	The amendment affects the single document.

Title

Area in immediate proximity

Description

In Chapter I(IV)(3) of the product specification, the phrase ‘based on the 2024 Official Geographic Code’ has been added after the words ‘department of Yonne’.

This editorial amendment allows the area in immediate proximity to be identified with reference to the 2024 version of the Official Geographic Code, published by INSEE. Adding this detail gives legal certainty to the definition of that area.

The names of the municipalities forming the area have been updated to take account of administrative changes, however the area’s boundaries remain unchanged.

The single document has been amended under the heading ‘Further applicable requirements’.

☑	The amendment affects the single document.

Title

Vine training systems: planting density

Description

In Chapter I(IV)(1) of the product specification, the following paragraph has been added: ‘The spacing between vines in the same row planted before 25 October 2009 is at least 0,70 metres.’

This rule allows vines planted before the first approval of the product specification, which then complied with the requirements of the regulatory text governing the designation, to continue to produce grapes intended for the designation.

The single document point ‘Winemaking practices’ has been amended.

☑	The amendment affects the single document.

Title

Vineyard management – Pruning rules

Description

In Chapter I(IV)(1)(b) of the specification, the wording has been amended to allow double Guyot pruning and remove the limit on the number of buds per vine.

These changes make the viticulturists’ work easier.

The single document point ‘Winemaking practices’ has been amended.

☑	The amendment affects the single document.

Title

Other cultivation practices

Description

The option of using methods other than the hot-water treatment to combat flavescence dorée has been removed from Chapter I, Section VI(2)(b) of the product specification, given that no alternative methods have proven effective.

☐	The amendment affects the single document.

Title

Information about the inspection body

Description

The provisions concerning the inspection body set out in Chapter III(II) of the specification have been amended to comply with the new drafting rules.

☐	The amendment affects the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

Designations of origin and geographical indications of wine

‘Saint-Bris’

EU reference number: PDO-FR-A0197-AM01 – 13.7.2026

1.   Name(s)

‘Saint-Bris’

2.   Geographical indication type

☑

PDO

☐

PGI

3.   Country to which the demarcated geographical area belongs

France

4.   Classification of the agricultural product in accordance with the Combined Nomenclature heading and code, as referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143

2204 – Wine of fresh grapes, including fortified wines; grape must other than that of heading 2009

5.   Categories of grapevine product as listed in Part II of Annex VII to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013

1.

Wine

6.   Description of the wine(s)

Grapevine product

White wine

Organoleptic characteristics

Visual appearance

No special characteristics.

Aroma

In most cases, the bouquet is reminiscent of fruit (often citrus fruit and blackcurrant buds), most often combined with subtle green notes (asparagus, elderberry).

Taste

The wine is generally fresh, pleasantly acidic and characterised by a good level of minerality. These signature characteristics are based on maintaining a certain degree of acidity so as to bring out the wine’s vivacity and freshness when it is drunk young. After a few years, the wine can be enjoyed for its mineral complexity.

Additional information regarding organoleptic characteristics

—

Analytical characteristics

Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume):	—
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume):	—
Minimum total acidity:	—
Minimum total acidity unit:	—
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre):	—
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre):	—

Additional information regarding analytical characteristics

The white wines have a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 10 %.

☑	Any analytical characteristics not indicated in this section are within the limits laid down in the applicable EU legislation.

7.   Winemaking practices

7.1.   Specific oenological practices used to make the wine or wines, relevant restrictions on making them

Winemaking practice

—

Type of oenological practice

Winemaking restriction

Description

The use of wood chips is prohibited.

After enrichment, the wines’ total alcoholic strength by volume must not exceed 12,8 %.

The oenological practices used to make the wines comply with EU regulations.

Winemaking practice

Vineyard management

Type of oenological practice

Cultivation method

Description

—	Planting density: The minimum vine planting density is 7 000 vines per hectare, with a maximum distance of 1,30 metres between rows and a minimum distance of 0,80 metres between vines in the same row. The spacing between vines in the same row planted before 25 October 2009 is at least 0,70 metres.

—	Pruning rules: The wines are made from grapes grown on vines pruned according to the single or double Guyot method; The canes are pruned to a maximum of eight buds and a maximum of two spurs, allowing the position of the cane to be alternated from one year to the next.

—

There should be no more than 75 000 buds per hectare; The vines may be pruned to leave additional buds on condition that, at the phenological stage corresponding to 11 or 12 leaves, the number of fruit-bearing shoots for the year per plant does not exceed the number of buds allowed by the pruning rules.

—	Irrigation is prohibited.

7.2.   Maximum yields

All wines / category / variety / type

Still white wines

Maximum yield

Maximum yield:	70
Maximum yield unit:	hectolitres per hectare

8.   Indication of the wine grape variety or varieties from which the wine or wines are produced

—	Sauvignon B – Sauvignon Blanc

—	Sauvignon Gris G – Fié Gris

9.   Concise definition of the demarcated geographical area

The grapes are harvested and the wines made, developed and matured in the following municipalities of the Yonne department, based on the 2024 Official Geographic Code: Chitry, Irancy, Quenne, Saint-Bris-le-Vineux and Vincelottes.

Maps of the geographical area can be accessed on the National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO) website.

10.   Link with the geographical area

Category of grapevine product

1.

Wine

Summary of the link

Details of the geographical area

(a)   Description of the natural factors relevant to the link

The geographical area covers the slopes of a small dry valley located on the right bank of the River Yonne, in the heart of the Auxerrois vineyards, 10 kilometres upstream from the city of Auxerre (Department of Yonne). The Auxerrois vineyards are part of a large geomorphological structure in the Paris Basin, the ‘Côte des Bars’ cuesta, an elevated terrain formed by a hard limestone plateau (le Calcaire du Barrois). This elevated plateau overhangs a long concave slope whose subsoil consists of compact, impermeable marl (a mixture of clay and lime), the ‘Marnes à Exogyra virgula’. The marl forming the slope is usually covered in a layer of scree comprising fine material mixed with coarser lumps of limestone. The elevated terrain is generally quite complex, consisting of a multitude of small valleys creating many slopes facing in varied directions. The vineyards are mainly located on the marly incline, on well-drained clay soil with high chalk content, and are also planted along the edge of the elevated plateau, which has shallow and very stony soils. These vineyards enjoy a cool maritime climate. Rainfall is moderate and evenly distributed throughout the year, with an annual average of 650 millimetres recorded in Auxerre, but the temperatures, cool, with an annual average of 10,8 °C, are quite mixed depending on the season, and there is a real risk of frost in spring. The parcels used for the grape harvest range between 150 and 300 metres in altitude and have been established in specific locations: – on the elevated areas behind the ‘Côte des Bars’, at an altitude of approximately 300 metres and with little protection from the wind; – on the marly, north-facing slopes situated to the west/north-west.

(b)   Description of the human factors relevant to the link

The Sauvignon B and Sauvignon Gris G varieties have been cultivated in ‘Saint-Bris’ since the mid-19th century. They grow alongside the traditional Burgundy varieties (Pinot Noir N, Chardonnay B, Aligoté B, etc.), most often planted together within the same parcel. This constitutes the particularity of the ‘Saint-Bris’ sector, and the wines are called ‘blanc fumé’ [smoked white], a name that originates from the nearby vineyards of ‘Sancerre’ and ‘Pouilly-sur-Loire’ in the Loire valley. Although the Sauvignon B and Sauvignon Gris G varieties are not authorised for the production of wines eligible for a protected designation of origin in Burgundy (under the Decrees of 31 July 1936), producers in the ‘Saint-Bris’ region came together to preserve them as part of their vineyards, by vinifying them separately and allocating precisely selected parcels to them. A winemakers’ cooperative was set up in 1962 to preserve and promote this wine. The originality of the wines from these parcels has progressively been recognised, firstly as a simple designation of origin ‘Sauvignon de Saint-Bris’, then in 1974 as a vin délimité de qualité supérieure [wine with appellation of origin of high quality] ‘Sauvignon de Saint-Bris’, and finally, since 10 January 2003, as a ‘Saint-Bris’ protected designation of origin. In 2009, the vineyards used to produce this wine covered 123 hectares. The vines are cultivated in accordance with the Auxerrois region’s wine-growing practices, with a minimum planting density of 7 000 vines per hectare and using the Guyot training method.

(c)   Information on the product’s quality and characteristics

The wine is generally fresh and pleasantly acidic with aromas reminiscent of fruit (often citrus fruit and blackcurrant buds), most often combined with subtle green notes (asparagus, elderberry), and a good level of minerality. The wine’s character is based on maintaining a certain acidity, with the aim of bringing out its vivacity and freshness when it is drunk young. After a few years, the wine can be enjoyed for its mineral complexity.

(d)   Causal interactions

The ‘Saint-Bris’ protected designation of origin, produced from the Sauvignon B and Sauvignon Gris G varieties, has a unique status in Burgundy. After the recognition of the Burgundy protected designations of origin, these varieties, which had been cultivated in the 19th and early 20th centuries in the Auxerrois region, only persisted on the slopes surrounding the village of Saint-Bris. Armed with their experience, the producers rapidly came up with a wine of great originality, whose characteristics distinguish it from other wines. The parcels intended for grape harvesting are mainly located in the municipality of Saint-Bris, with some spillover into some areas of the four neighbouring municipalities. Grapes from the north- and west-facing slopes on the marly substratum and from the edges of the limestone plateaux at higher altitudes are preferred. These locations ensure the expression of freshness and mineral complexity in the wines, which are to be drunk young. Producers in this region have thus been able to maintain the production of an original wine with a strong identity. Recognised and appreciated locally, its reputation extends in proportion to its production. The ‘Saint-Bris’ protected designation of origin is a signature product that is very localised, unique in Burgundy and emblematic within the Auxerrois region, combining Burgundy traditions and expertise with the influences of the neighbouring winegrowing regions.

11.   Further applicable requirements

Title of the requirement/derogation

Area in immediate proximity

Legal framework

National legislation

Type of further requirement/derogation

Derogation concerning production in the demarcated geographical area

Description of the requirement/derogation

The area in immediate proximity, defined by derogation for winegrowing, production and maturation, comprises the territory of the following municipalities of the department of Yonne, based on the 2024 Official Geographic Code: Aigremont, Annay-sur-Serein, Arcy-sur-Cure, Augy, Auxerre, Bazarnes, Beine, Bernouil, Béru, Bessy-sur-Cure, Bleigny-le-Carreau, Censy, Chablis, Champs-sur-Yonne, Charentenay, Châtel-Gérard, Chemilly-sur-Serein, Cheney, Chevannes, Chichée, Collan, Coulangeron, Coulanges-la-Vineuse, Courgis, Dannemoine, Deux-Rivières, Dyé, Epineuil, Escamps, Escolives-Sainte-Camille, Fleys, Fontenay-près-Chablis, Gy-l’Evêque, Héry, Jouancy, Junay, Jussy, La-Chapelle-Vaupelteigne, Lichères-près-Aigremont, Lignorelles, Ligny-le-Châtel, Lucy-sur-Cure, Maligny, Mélisey, Merry-Sec, Migé, Molay, Molosmes, Montigny-la-Resle, Mouffy, Moulins-en-Tonnerois, Nitry, Noyers, Ouanne, Pasilly, Poilly-sur-Serein, Pontigny, Préhy, Roffey, Rouvray, Saint-Cyr-les-Colons, Sainte-Pallaye, Sainte-Vertu, Sarry, Serrigny, Tissey, Tonnerre, Tronchoy, Val-de-Mercy, Vallan, Venouse, Venoy, Vermenton, Vézannes, Vézinnes, Villeneuve-Saint-Salves, Villy, Vincelles, Viviers and Yrouerre.

In accordance with Article 5(1) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33, the area in immediate proximity corresponds to an area in the immediate proximity of the demarcated area in question.

Title of the requirement/derogation

Labelling

Legal framework

National legislation

Type of further requirement/derogation

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the requirement/derogation

(a)	The size of the letters of all optional terms whose use, under Community provisions, may be regulated by the Member States, must not be larger, either in height or width, than double the size of the letters forming the name of the Protected Designation of Origin.

(b)

The name of a smaller geographical unit may appear on the labelling of wines covered by the protected designation of origin, provided that: – it is the name of a place in the land register; – it appears on the harvest declaration. The name of the registered location must be printed in letters no larger, either in height or in width, than half the size of the letters forming the name of the protected designation of origin.

(c)	Where specified on the labelling, the grape variety must not appear in the same visual field as the mandatory items or be printed in letters that are larger than 2 mm.

Electronic (URL) reference to publication of the product specification

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/boagri/document_administratif-9753b9fd-cc2c-48f4-bfb5-b6178e3c9113

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(1)  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 of 30 October 2024 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council with rules concerning the registration and the protection of geographical indications, traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms and repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (OJ L, 2025/27, 15.1.2025, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2025/27/oj).