Bellet ou Vin de Bellet

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The soils consist of siliceous-calcareous conglomerates and rounded pebbles derived from the erosion of the nearby Alpine massifs, with a granulometry comprising 80%, or even 90%, coarse or fine sands, forming well-drained soils.
• The 'Pliocene revolution' that gave birth to the Mediterranean Sea bequeathed its subsoil to this geographical zone, whose sedimentary deposits are capped by substantial thicknesses of conglomerates known as the 'Pliocene delta conglomerates of the Var'.
• During the Quaternary, a further tilting of Provence toward the west raised these conglomerates to altitudes of up to 600 metres, giving rise to the steep slopes of 'Bellet'.
• The delimited parcels are planted at between 200 and 400 metres of altitude, on the steep slopes of the 'collets' oriented east or west, and rarely on the plateaux.
• The Var valley, running perpendicular to the coastline, channels mountain breezes descending from the Alps during the night and part of the morning, and then, toward the end of the day, the breeze rising from the sea.
• The geographical zone benefits from an annual sunshine total of 2,820 hours and an average annual rainfall of 830 millimetres.
• The vines are cultivated on small terraces known locally as 'planches', carefully preserved by producers against the rapid urban development of this major metropolitan area.

• The vineyard reached its most prosperous period at the beginning of the nineteenth century, with its surface area exceeding 1,000 hectares before the phylloxera invasion of 1888.
• After phylloxera, the vines were only partially replanted, and the vineyard was restored thanks to winegrowing families who replanted old, local varieties such as vermentino, known locally as 'Rolle', braquet, and fuella nera, called 'folle noire'.

• The red wines offer fruity aromas enriched with notes of cherry, wild rose, and spice, with a tannin structure that is well present yet well integrated.
• The rosé wines are distinguished by aromas of wild flowers, old-fashioned rose, and violet, combined with iodine-tinged notes on the palate.
• The white wines, marked by the vermentino variety, offer a floral bouquet of lime blossom, vine flower, and pear interwoven with citrus notes, with a richness and a balanced structure that confer good ageing potential, during which mineral notes often develop.

• The soils developed on conglomerates and rounded pebbles are well drained, which limits the impact of Mediterranean storms and ensures deep rooting of the vine.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 1er décembre 2011, JORF 4 décembre 2011
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVP