Côtes du Roussillon Villages

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The Côtes du Roussillon Villages appellation covers 51 communes or parts of communes in the Pyrénées-Orientales département, bounded by the Corbières to the north, the Tech river to the south, the Fenouillèdes and Canigou to the west, and the Mediterranean to the east.
• The Agly river carves steep gorges through the Fenouillèdes before opening into the Estagel basin, where it is joined by its tributaries the Maury and the Verdouble flowing down from Tautavel.
• The uplift of the Pyrenees has exposed rocks from every geological era, yielding soils derived from brown schists, black schists, clay-limestone, gneiss, granitic sands, and pebbly, gravelly molasse.
• The parcels delimited within Côtes du Roussillon Villages share common soils that are poor in organic matter, dry, stony, and well drained.
• The Mediterranean climate delivers annual sunshine exceeding 2,500 hours and rainfall of between 450 and 650 millimetres, often arriving as storms with significant losses to run-off.
• The Tramontane, a north-westerly wind that is often violent and very cold in winter, blows one day in three, breaking shoots in spring and intensifying summer drought, while at the same time keeping the atmosphere healthy.

• The Côtes du Roussillon Villages appellation contrôlée was recognised in 1977, originating from the historic area of the Corbières supérieures du Roussillon, located in the northern part of the zone.
• Three additional geographical designations were defined successively according to their soils: Lesquerde in 1995, on high-altitude granitic sands; Tautavel in 1997, on clay-limestone soils in the Verdouble valley; and Les Aspres in 2017, on pebbly, gravelly molasse.

• Côtes du Roussillon Villages wines display a deep red colour, an elegant nose of red and black fruits, and a warm, powerful attack on the palate with very well-balanced tannins.
• Wines from the Caramany designation are supple, fresh, and approachable, with aromas of black fruits and spices, owing in particular to the mandatory carbonic maceration applied to carignan.
• Wines from the Lesquerde designation, marked by minerality and freshness with notes of red fruits and pepper, combine syrah with carignan, whose tannic grip is softened by carbonic maceration.
• Wines from the Tautavel designation are complex and persistent, with notes of ripe fruit, garrigue, and spice; their powerful tannins lend themselves to extended ageing of twelve months after the harvest.

• At Caramany, the cool nature of the gneiss soils favours the expression of syrah's aromatic finesse, while carbonic maceration unlocks the aromatic potential of carignan and at the same time brings suppleness to the structure of the wines.
• At Latour-de-France, the warm soils allow grenache to express its Mediterranean character, while carignan is well suited to the most sun-exposed slopes, and syrah, planted on the cooler soils, contributes a spicy aromatic note.

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

Dénominations géographiques complémentaires

• Côtes du Roussillon Villages Caramany AOC (PDO)
• Côtes du Roussillon Villages Latour-de-France AOC (PDO)
• Côtes du Roussillon Villages Les Aspres AOC (PDO)
• Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde AOC (PDO)
• Côtes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel AOC (PDO)

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 26 novembre 2025, JORF 3 décembre 2025
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVR — Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon