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    Limestone

    The skeletons of ancient seas, under some of the most famous vineyards in the world.

    Limestone in the atlas

    1. Atlas regionRioja
    2. Atlas regionBordeaux
    3. Atlas regionSancerre
    4. Atlas regionChablis
    5. Atlas regionChampagne
    6. Atlas regionCôte de Nuits
    7. Atlas regionAlsace
    8. Atlas regionChianti Classico
    9. Atlas regionCrimea
    10. Atlas regionKuban

    Atlas regions where this rock appears in the text or the soil profile.

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    What it is

    Limestone is a sedimentary rock that forms in warm, shallow seas from the skeletal remains of marine organisms.1 Chalk is one kind of limestone; marl is limestone mixed with clay.

    limestone
    gravel
    clay

    Schematic: how fast water drains through the rock. A qualitative comparison based on the sources on this page.

    What it does for the vine

    In Chablis the appellation rules describe soils that drain well on limestone and hold more clay on the marly slopes.2 On very calcareous soils vines can suffer lime-induced chlorosis, linked to high bicarbonate and high soil pH; rootstocks are rated by how much active lime they tolerate.3

    Many famous vineyards stand on limestone, but a review of terroir research found that high soil calcium is not in itself a requirement for a great vineyard. Calcium may help indirectly, through soil structure, root growth and warming.4

    Where to see it

    Hard Bajocian and Bathonian limestones are typical of the Côte de Nuits.5 Saint-Émilion in Bordeaux sits on a limestone plateau.6 In Champagne three quarters of the outcrops are limestone in the broad sense.7 At Abrau-Durso in Kuban limestone dominates the soils.8

    Regions

    Sources

    1. Rock set general cards (education resource). The Geological Society of London. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    2. Cahier des charges de l'AOC « Chablis » (décret n° 2011-1752 du 2 décembre 2011). INAO / Ministère de l'Agriculture, 2011. level 1 · checked 2026-10-13
    3. Resistance/tolerance to abiotic stress factors: ... chlorosis occurrence in different grapevine rootstocks (Bavaresco, Università Cattolica, Piacenza). VITIS (openagrar archive). level 3 · checked 2026-10-13
    4. Soil-related terroir factors: a review (van Leeuwen, Roby, de Rességuier, OENO One 52(2):173-188). OENO One, 2018. level 3 · checked 2026-10-13
    5. Approche pédologique de la distinction des AOC : étude de deux toposéquences en Côte viticole bourguignonne. Leveque J., Toulemonde E., Andreux F. VIth International Terroir Congress, 2006. level 3 · checked 2026-10-13
    6. Saint-Emilion PDO — amendment application PDO-FR-A0988-AM01. European Commission, eAmbrosia. level 1 · checked 2026-10-13
    7. Champagne and its soil. Comité Champagne. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    8. О нас. Абрау-Дюрсо (official site). level 4 · checked 2026-10-13
    9. On rocky ground: The science of soil and wine taste (Prof. Alex Maltman). Decanter, 2018. level 4 · checked 2026-10-13