Grands vins - Côtes-du-Rhône - Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages

The Côtes-du-Rhône appellation is a regional appellation which can be claimed by every wine produced in Vallée du Rhône (except for the Luberon, Ventoux, Côtes-du-Vivarais, Coteaux-du-Tricastin, Costières-de-Nîmes and other wines produced in the Diois).

To the Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages appellation can be added the name of one of these 18 villages : Cairanne, Chusclan, Laudun, Massif d’Uchaux, Plan de Dieu, Puyméras, Rasteau, Roaix, Rochegude, Rousset-les-Vignes, Sablet, Saint-Gervais, Saint-Maurice, Saint-Pantaléon-les-Vignes, Séguret, Signargues, Valréas, Visan.

77% of the red wines and 84% of the white wines are produced in the Gard and Vaucluse departments, meaning the southern part of the valley.

Main grape varieties :

Red wines and rosés : Grenache noir, syrah, mourvèdre, carignan, cinsaut, counoise, muscadin, camarèse, vaccarèse, picpoul noir, terret noir, grenache gris, clairette rose.
White wines : grenache blanc, clairette, marsanne, roussanne, bourboulenc, viognier, ugni blanc, picpoul blanc.

Soils : Clay and sand. Granit in the north, limestone in the south. The vineyard is split between bedrocks and terraces of various heights.

Style of wines :

Red wines : concentrated and full-bodied ; aromas of ripe red fruits and garrigue.

White wines : Very aromatic.

Rosés : more corpulent and colored than in Provence.