Duché d'Uzès

France · AOC · Rhône Valley · 77 INAO commune(s)

Styles

Natural factors

86 communes in the Gard department, between Nîmes and Alès, organised into two basins: Lédignan (Cretaceous anticline) and Uzès (Tertiary syncline).
Predominantly limestone substrates; vineyards planted on stony hillsides with shallow soils.
Mediterranean climate moderated by distance from the coast and the Cévennes massif; a thermal gradient of 1 to 2 °C from southeast to northwest.
Annual rainfall of approximately 700 mm, with marked year-to-year variation driven by autumn precipitation events (the cévenol phenomenon). (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Gardon river crosses the zone from northwest to southeast; to the north, the Lussan massif reaches its highest point at Mont Bouquet (630 m).

Human factors

Hillside viticulture dating back to the 15th century, restructured around Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier — noble Mediterranean varieties.
Ancient viticulture practised in gobelet training on the right bank of the Rhône, later replaced by the tall-trained systems imposed by Rome.

Terroir / wine link

The cool nights of the Cévennes foothills slow ripening, enhance colour development, and preserve both acidity and aromatic freshness.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the source.