D3 Rhone & South France Flashcards
Languedoc-Roussillon Fact?
More area under vine than Chile, Australia or South Africa!
Also, roughly half yields of Champagne or Alsace.
Lots of Co-operatives
Languedoc Features & Climate?
Mostly low-lying alluvial plain, though some hillside slopes
Warm Mediterranean
Tramontane winds from Pyrenees, lowering disease pressure, hence high organic production
Variable and quite low rainfall - risk of low yields without irrigation
Lots of IGP Production
Co-operatives very common - majority producer
Languedoc Grapes?
Carignan Syrah Grenache Noir Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cinsault
Carignan?
Late budding
Late Ripening
High yields and often of lower intensity, though can be made in a richer oaked style
Prone to powdery mildew and grape moths
Ill-suited to mechanical harvesting as bunches are firmly attached to vine
High acidity
High tannins
Black fruit aromas
Carbonic maceration popular in lighter iterations
Languedoc Training?
Bush vines historically
Moving towards trellising, especially in light of need for mechanisation and cheaper wines
Languedoc IGP?
Pays d’Oc
Maximum yield 90 hL/ha
Very relaxed re. varieties used
Languedoc AOC Wines?
Necessarily blends - usually maximum 80% of any permitted grape
Vast majority require Grenache Noir, and most also Syrah and Mourvedre
Maximum yields typically 40-45 hL/ha
For Languedoc AOC itself:
GSM are principal - minimum of 40% of the blend
Minimum 2 varieties including at least one principal
No variety more than 80%
Other individual varieties cannot make up more than 30%
Corbieres AOC?
Slopes and elevation up to 450m
Almost entirely black grapes
Minimum 40% of GSM and Carignan
Maximum yield 50 hL/ha
Corbieres-Boutenac AOC requires minimum 70% GSM and Carignan
Notable Languedoc AOCs and Why?
Fitou AOC: Carignan 10-40%, Grenache > 20%
Faugers AOC: Maximum yield 50 hL/ha, though often ~33 in practice, Aged minimum one year, Lots of organic
Pic Saint-Loup AOC: Red & Rosé, Most continental appellation, High rainfall, Syrah > 50%
Other Languedoc AOCs?
Minervois AOC:
Varied terroir
GSMCC minimum 50% of blend, with no variety exceeding 80%
Minervois La Liviniere AOC:
Red wine only
GSM > 40% GSMCC< 80%
Saint Chinian AOC:
Reds and Rosés
GSM > 50%
Terrasses du Larzac AOC:
New appellation
Red Wines
Minimum 3 varieties
La Clape AOC:
New Appellation
Red Majority
Whites must be Grenache Blanc or Bourboulenc >60%
Picpoul de Pinet AOC?
Piquepoul grape
Maximum yield 55 hL/ha
Dry, medium-high acid, medium body, lemon and floral
Malepere AOC?
Atlantic influenced
Minimum 2 varieties
Merlot > 40%
Cabardes AOC?
Atlantic and Mediterranean influence
Bordeaux varieties (CS/CF/ME) > 40%
Grenache Noir or Syrah > 40%
Roussillon Climate & Features?
Warm Mediterranean Climate
Windy
Moderate rainfall - occasional drought
Roussillon Grapes?
Grenache Noir
Syrah
Carignan
Muscat Blanc
Muscat of Alexandria
Macabeu
Roussillon Vineyards?
Still many bush vines
Some trellising increasingly, but less so than Languedoc
Cotes du Roussillon AOC?
Lower Slopes
Maximum yield 48 hL/ha
Principal red/rosé varieties - GSM and Carignan
In vineyard, no more than 50% Carignan, while collectively Syrah and Mourvedre must be 25%+
Minimum 2 varieties
No variety more than 80%
Cotes du Roussillon Villages AOC?
Red only
Minimum 2 varieties
No variety more than 80%
Maximum yield 45 hL/ha
Some villages require carbonic maceration of the Carignan
Collioure AOC?
Same boundaries as Banyuls
Reds made from GSM
Whites made from Grenache Gris
Maximum yields 40 hL/ha, though in practice 20-25
Provence AOC?
Predominantly Rosé from Grenache Noir & Cinsault (with up to 20% whites blended in)
Limited amount of GSM&C Reds
Tiny volumes of Vermentino (Rolle) and Clairette
Provence Climate & Features?
Warm Mediterranean Climate
Mistral helps to cool vines and reduce disease pressure, though can also impair flowering and fruit-set
Provence Training?
Historically bush vines, increasingly trellised
Must Adjustment in Provence?
Acidifcation is common
Cotes de Provence AOC?
Must be a blend of varieties
Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Syrah, Tibouren
Maximum yield 55 hL/ha
Typically medium everything (down to even light intensity)
