Crémant de Die
Styles
Principal grape varieties
Terroir
Natural factors
- The geographical area is bounded to the north by the high cliffs of the Vercors and the Glandasse plateau, to the south by the Saou mountain, and to the west by the Rhône depression.
- The vineyard enjoys a climate marked by Mediterranean influences, though tempered by the proximity of the mountain relief, and is planted on the slopes overlooking the Drôme valley.
- The foothill zone, whose eastern boundary is the Saillans cluse, presents rocks of Cretaceous origin made up of alternating marls and clayey limestones.
- Upstream of Saillans, the land is formed by a Jurassic-age anticlinorium laid bare by erosion, whose Upper Jurassic caprock gave rise to great limestone ridges, while the marls formed from fossil-bearing sediments deposited on the sea floor during the Secondary era make up the famous "terres noires" of the Diois.
- Quaternary-age deposits, in the form of Drôme and Gervanne river terraces, alluvial fans and limestone scree, have contributed to a range of soils with a heterogeneous structure on which the vine has developed.
Human factors
- In 77 AD, Pliny the Elder mentions two renowned wines from the land of the Voconces, a sweet wine (vinum dulce) and a sparkling wine (aigleucos) whose fermentation was halted by plunging the jars into cold water until winter.
- Recognition as a regulated appellation of origin dates from the decree of 21 April 1910, with an initial delimitation of 41 communes, before recognition as an appellation d'origine contrôlée in 1942.
Product characteristics
- Crémant de Die displays highly fruity aromatic nuances and characteristic notes of white flowers that set it apart from the other sparkling wines made in the Diois.
- It is a white sparkling wine made from a dry white wine, vinified from the Clairette, Aligoté and, to a lesser extent, Muscat à petits grains blancs varieties.
Terroir / wine link
- The soils of the "terres noires" (shaly marls or calc-schists) are the favoured territory of Muscat à petits grains, which develops richness, structure and aromatic power there.
- On the stonier soils of the Quaternary terraces, alluvial fans and scree at the foot of the limestone ridges, Clairette, at the climatic limit of ripening, brings 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.
About this boundary
On the map, at overview zooms, this appellation is drawn as a silhouette of its vineyard generalised at 250 m from the INAO parcel delimitation; the parcels themselves appear as you zoom in.
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
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