Côtes de Millau

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The Tarn, which rises at the foot of Mont Lozère, has carved its valley through the Jurassic limestone causses, cutting deeply into these plateaux in gorges upstream of Millau.
• The vines are planted discontinuously along a strip of nearly 50 kilometres following the river, but never exceeding 2 kilometres in width, confined to the mid-slopes of the hillsides.
• The most characteristic viticultural soils are either young soils on Triassic sandstone, non-calcareous, sometimes acidic and leached, found to the south-west of Millau and to the west of the Tarn.
• The other characteristic soil type consists of stony colluvium derived from Jurassic sedimentary formations, found to the east of the Tarn and to the north of Millau, on the plateaux dissected by the Tarn and the Dourbie.
• The vineyard plots are distributed between 350 and 500 metres in altitude, nestled in the heart of the valley among orchards, notably cherry trees, beneath the causse plateaux rising to between 800 and 900 metres.

• The storage cellars built from the tenth century onwards in the fortified settlement of Compeyre were used to keep wine safe during the turbulent periods of history.
• From the mid-seventeenth century, producers built 'cellar villages', often adjoining the vineyard plots, into rocky outcrops whose fissures provide natural ventilation and a constant coolness that favours optimal wine preservation.

• The red wines generally display a ruby to garnet colour with bright red highlights, aromas of red fruits, and tannins described as smooth and elegant.
• The rosé wines, with a deep pink colour, often show aromas of red fruits and amylic notes on the nose, with a supple attack, a pleasing roundness, and a refreshing freshness on the palate.
• The white wines, with a fairly deep yellow colour and golden highlights, offer complex aromas often combining white flowers and honey, with a supple attack and good aromatic intensity on the palate.

• The Syrah variety, a southern grape, ripens late here, contributing complex and refined aromas.
• The Gamay variety, which is earlier-ripening, reaches a high level of maturity quickly, bringing warmth, finesse, and roundness to the 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 28 novembre 2011, JORF 30 novembre 2011
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — IVSO — Interprofession des Vins du Sud-Ouest