Languedoc

France · AOC · Languedoc-Roussillon

Styles

Natural factors

Three dominant winds: Mistral (north, northeast); Cers and Tramontane (northwest, west), promoting sunshine hours.
Highly variable rainfall: 400 mm/year in the driest zones, 900 mm in the foothills, with a marked summer drought.
Geology spanning every period from the Primary era (schists) to the Quaternary (alluvial deposits); low-fertility, stony, well-drained soils.
Dense hydrographic network: some twenty rivers and waterways (Vidourle, Hérault, Orb, Aude, Agly, Tech, Têt) flowing toward the Mediterranean.

Human factors

From 1951 onward, replanting of the traditional varieties grenache N, mourvèdre N, syrah N, carignan N, and cinsaut N across a fragmented patchwork of plots.

Product characteristics

Reds: medium to deep colour, aromas ranging from red and black fruits to spice and roasted notes, ripe tannins, ageing potential of 2–5 years. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)
Dry whites: pale appearance, Languedocian roundness, aromas of exotic fruits, citrus, white flowers, or dried fruits.

Terroir / wine link

Hot, dry Mediterranean climate promoting ripe tannins in the reds and roundness in the rosés and whites.

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