VINE AND WINE
THE VILLAGE OF LAMARQUE
OUR ‘TERROIR’ : The commune of Lamarque is noted for its outcrops shaped over the years by the flow of the Garonne river. These outcrops, dating from the last quaternary era cover most of the commune. Only one type of gravel is identifiable in Lamarque :
GRAVES "CLAIRES" - Light-coloured gravel, composed of quartz pebbles and white quartzites with occasional elements of black Lydians.
This ‘type 3’ gravel is modern-day proof of the ancient flow-path of the Garonne river, which went from Bordeaux to the mouth of the estuary. This type of gravel can be found in Arsac, Margaux, Moulis, Cussac …
Some gravelly hillocks are up to 18m high ....
We can also observe a strip of about 700 m of gravel and large brown and ochre pebbles (reaching up to 15-20 cm in diameter).
The vital role of these pebbles, reflecting the sunlight up onto the vines, is well-known.
Thus the gravelly soil of Lamarque, not too rich and well-sloped, favours the ripeness of the grapes. The convex shape of the mounds limits the variations in daily temperatures. Finally, the poor gravelly soils limiting the nutrition of the plants, the roots are forced down deeper into the sub-soil. There, they find the water-tables which ensure the water supply to the plant.
