Coteaux de Die

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical zone lies to the south-east of Valence, bounded to the north by the cliffs of the Vercors and the Glandasse plateau, to the south by the Saou mountain, and to the west by the Rhône corridor.
• The vineyards occupy the slopes overlooking the Drôme valley, where the Bez and Drôme valleys open out into broad alluvial plains draining basins separated by narrows and wide combes such as those of Die and Vercheny.
• The appellation area, identical to that of Clairette de Die and Crémant de Die, encompasses 31 communes in the Drôme valley, 12 of which are also included within the Châtillon-en-Diois appellation zone.
• The foreland, bounded to the east by the Saillans gorge, is composed of rocks of Cretaceous origin alternating between marls and argillaceous limestones, while upstream of Saillans the terrain forms a Jurassic-age anticlinorium breached by erosion.
• The erosion of the Upper Jurassic limestone cap gave rise to the great limestone cliffs (barres calcaires) that dominate the landscape, and supplied coarse material to the Lower Jurassic levels, formed of highly compacted marl-limestone alternations known locally as the terres noires of the Diois.
• Quaternary-age deposits — represented by the river terraces of the Drôme and the Gervanne, alluvial fans, and limestone scree — complete a palette of soils with a heterogeneous structure on which the vine has established itself.
• The geographical zone experiences a climate strongly influenced by Mediterranean conditions, tempered, however, by the proximity of the surrounding mountain relief.

• Pliny the Elder mentions in the first century a sweet wine (vinum dulce) and a sparkling wine (aigleucos) produced among the Vocontii, whose fermentation was arrested by plunging the dolia into cold water until winter.
• Before phylloxera, the indigenous red varieties of the Diois were Funate and Paugayen, while white wines were based on Clairette and Muscat à petits grains.
• Growers sought the best exposures on the serres — local ridges and small hills — or on terraced sites perched at altitudes of up to 700 metres at Châtillon-en-Diois.
• A decree of 26 March 1993 recognised the appellation d'origine contrôlée 'Coteaux de Die' for still wines produced within the same geographical zone as the sparkling wines of Clairette de Die.

• The wines generally display a pale colour, delicate floral or fruity aromas such as apple, and a well-balanced palate in which alcohol and acidity are in harmony.
• This limited production requires a higher degree of ripeness in the grapes than those destined for sparkling wines, and is undertaken only in years when climatic conditions permit.

• The stony soils of the Quaternary terraces, alluvial fans, and scree at the foot of the limestone cliffs are most often devoted to Clairette — a variety here at its climatic limit of ripeness — which contributes the acidity and aromatic finesse essential to both sparkling and still wines.

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 9 décembre 2024, JORF 11 décembre 2024
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — Inter Rhône