Saint-Georges-Saint-Emilion

Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion is the smallest of the 'satellite' appellations of the larger Saint-Émilion appellation, located in the Libournais subregion of Bordeaux, on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Like its neighboring appellations, it produces only red wines, predominantly based on the Merlot variety.

Saint-Georges is a village situated a few miles north of Saint-Émilion. Its vineyards extend south of the village and reach the Barbanne River. Due to its proximity to the neighboring village of Montagne, wines from this area can bear the names of both villages. There are approximately 200 hectares of vineyards here.

Merlot is most often paired with Cabernet Franc, while Cabernet Sauvignon is much less common due to the cooler soils in the Saint-Émilion area, producing reliably good wines only in specific locations. A small amount of Malbec is also grown here (historically used primarily to add color), while Carmenère is permitted but almost never cultivated. Wines from Saint-Georges-Saint-Émilion must achieve a minimum alcohol content of 11% and come from vineyards with a planting density of fewer than 5,500 vines per hectare.

The other three Saint-Émilion satellite appellations are Lussac-Saint-Émilion, Montagne-Saint-Émilion, and Puisseguin-Saint-Émilion—all located north of Saint-Émilion itself. The Grand Cru classification system does not apply to any of these four appellations.

Historically, more prestigious wineries in the region have looked down on these supposedly inferior wines that used the Saint-Émilion name. In the mid-1930s, boundaries were redrawn, and the villages of Lussac, Montagne, Puisseguin, and Saint-Georges were granted their own independent Saint-Émilion appellations.