Limoux

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyard extends over 41 communes of the Aude, enclosed to the south by the Aude Pyrenees, to the west by the Chalabre and Razès hills, and to the east by the Corbières.
• Two types of relief coexist: hills and plateaus in the north between 100 and 250 metres in altitude, and rugged terrain in the south with vines between 300 and 500 metres.
• The soils are mainly developed on molasse of detrital origin, heterogeneous in sand, gravel and clay, eroded on the upper slopes.
• In the southern part of the zone, the soils develop on limestone and clays of the Sparnacian, with a high content of red clay.
• The geographical unit known as the "Autan", wedged between the Corbières and Chalabrais massifs, shields the vineyard from east and west winds and enjoys a warm, dry climate tempered by the Aude river, with around 550 to 600 millimetres of annual rainfall.

• The monks of the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire mention in their writings as early as 1531 a sparkling wine, considered to be the first sparkling wine made in the world.
• "Vin de Blanquette" owes its name to the Mauzac grape, the underside of whose leaves bears a thick white down, and was made with the Mauzac and Clairette varieties.
• Alcoholic fermentation is naturally slowed in the cellars by the coolness brought by the nearby hills, giving a wine with residual fermentable sugars, low in alcohol and sparkling.
• An old practice called "la vente au rameau" involved hanging a sprig of laurel or olive on one's door depending on whether it was a Blanquette wine or a red wine.

• "Méthode ancestrale" wines, made exclusively from the Mauzac grape, develop delicately fruity aromas of ripe apple with a sweet flavour and a pale yellow colour with green highlights.
• Blanquette de Limoux, made mainly from Mauzac by second fermentation in bottle, shows a pale yellow colour with green highlights when young and golden threads with age, with a lively effervescence and a nose of spring fruits and flowers, green apple and honey.
• Still white wines, made from Chardonnay, Chenin and Mauzac alone or blended, are full-bodied and rich with complex aromas evoking pineapple, toasted almonds, hazelnut, vanilla and liquorice.

• The particular climatic conditions of higher rainfall, absence of drought and cooler temperatures favoured the establishment of Chardonnay and Chenin, varieties that retain in this setting a low pH and an acidity well suited to high-quality sparkling wines.

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

All appellations in France

Sources

• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — CIVL