Left vs. right bank: Location, not ranking

The standard

The soil-led choice of variety explains the difference from the subsoil: gravel warms and drains, clay stores water and stays cooler. From this follows which variety ripens reliably where.

Criteria

• The subsoil is named before the variety
• Gravel favours late-ripening varieties, cool clay early-ripening ones
• The assignment holds for parcels, not for whole communes
• Deviations within a zone are the rule

Distinction

Bank ≠ appellation: the bank is a geographical position, the appellation a legally delimited origin. Bank ≠ style: the soil-led choice of variety explains a tendency, not a fixed way of making wine. Both banks carry wines that contradict the scheme of their zone.