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Appellation · France

Saint-Bris

The only appellation in Burgundy for Sauvignon Blanc — a variety the region otherwise does not grow at all.

Saint-Bris AOCcontinentalcool
What to expect in the glass

Dry, light-bodied, high-acid Sauvignon Blanc with grapefruit, nettle and a chalky finish. Sharper and less aromatic than Sancerre.

About Saint-Bris

Saint-Bris is a small appellation next to Irancy, and it is an anomaly: Burgundy is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir almost without exception, and here it is Sauvignon Blanc.

The variety has been grown here for centuries — the site is much closer to Sancerre than to Beaune, both geographically and geologically — and the appellation was finally recognised in 2003 after decades of selling as a lesser category.

The wines are leaner and stonier than Loire Sauvignon Blanc, with less overt gooseberry and more citrus, and they are among the cheapest serious Sauvignon Blanc in France.

What the name means

Legal name
Saint-Bris AOC
Type
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée / Protégée (AOC / AOP)
Set by
INAO
Recognised
2003
Regulates
Origin, plus grape varieties, maximum yields, minimum ageing.

The delimited area, permitted varieties, maximum yields, minimum alcohol, pruning and training methods, and in many cases minimum ageing. Administered by INAO.

Worth knowing

Burgundy’s sole Sauvignon Blanc appellation, and a deliberate exception to a region otherwise defined by Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Grapes

Wines from here

white

Crisp dry white

High-acid, unoaked whites built for refreshment and for seafood — citrus and mineral rather than fruit-forward.

Rules worth knowing

Confirmed in the EU register

Saint-Bris is registered as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), file number PDO-FR-A0197, protected at EU level since 1976.

Article 107 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013

Only the rules that change what to expect in the glass or on the label. WineHQ does not reproduce production specifications, and each entry carries the date it was last checked because appellation rules change.

The designation is confirmed above. WineHQ has not read this appellation’s production specification, so it publishes no yields, ageing minima or permitted-variety lists for it — those come from the document linked above, not from a summary of it.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Crisp dry white

Serve at 7–10°C (fridge cold).

Try with fillet steak, salmon or white fish.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • Irancy — The Yonne’s red-wine appellation, making pale, sharp Pinot Noir at the northern limit of where it will ripen.
  • Chablis — Chardonnay grown far enough north, and usually without oak, to taste like nothing else the variety does anywhere.
  • Sancerre — The world’s reference point for Sauvignon Blanc, on chalk and flint hills at the eastern end of the Loire.

Sources

Sources consulted