Côtes du Tarn

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The Côtes du Tarn geographical area covers 115 communes in the western half of the Tarn department, in south-west France.
• The Côtes du Tarn area lies in the northern part of the "Albigeois Gulf", a former gulf filled with Tertiary sediments deposited at the end of the Eocene and during the Oligocene, consisting of relatively soft molasse and Tertiary limestones.
• This gulf was heavily eroded by the Tarn and its tributaries, the Agout and the Dadou, which deposited their alluvial material during the successive glaciations of the Quaternary.
• The Côtes du Tarn vineyards are planted on generally low-fertility, well-drained, free-warming soils situated on the ancient alluvial terraces of the Tarn, the Agout and the Dadou, as well as on Tertiary hillsides and plateaux.
• The prevailing winds are westerly oceanic winds, bringing cloud cover and rainfall, while the Autan wind, less frequent, is a warm, dry wind from the south-east.
• Average annual rainfall ranges between 700 and 800 millimetres, with a Mediterranean influence bringing low precipitation, notably in July.

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

Dénominations géographiques complémentaires

• Côtes du Tarn Cabanes PGI
• Côtes du Tarn Cunac PGI

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF)
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — Confédération des Vins IGP de France