Vacqueyras

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The limestone massif of the Dentelles de Montmirail reaches 630 metres above sea level at the Rocher du Turc and constitutes the most complex geological structure on the left bank of the Rhône.
• The alluvial terrace known as the 'Garrigues' is composed of marine and lacustrine deposits carried down by the Ouvèze, with poor, predominantly clay-limestone soils featuring a red clay matrix and rounded river pebbles.
• Vacqueyras is established on the safres of the Comtat Venaissin, a Tertiary-era formation corresponding to fine sandstones and limestones alternating with marls.
• The vineyard has been planted mainly on broad terraces of the Ouvèze, at elevations ranging from 60 to 160 metres above sea level.
• The geographical area is subject to the influence of the Mistral, a violent, cold northerly wind, for more than 100 days per year, within a Mediterranean climate with low annual rainfall of 600 to 800 millimetres.

• A Gallo-Roman villa uncovered within the appellation territory attests to a planting of olive trees that was replaced, probably after a frost event, by vines as early as the Roman period.
• The 1521 land registry records 480 plots in the commune, 85 of which were planted with vines distributed among some fifty owners, while the 1596 registry estimates the planted area at 60 hectares across 66 owners.
• In 1724, a deliberation on the protection of the vines led to the appointment of a vineyard warden responsible for penalising offences committed against the vineyard.
• Initially incorporated into the appellation Côtes du Rhône by decree of 19 November 1937, then into Côtes du Rhône Villages from 1955 and associated with the commune's name in 1967, the appellation Vacqueyras became a Cru des Côtes du Rhône by decree of 15 August 1990.
• In 2009, the vineyard covered 1,462 hectares with an average production of 44,000 hectolitres, comprising 95% red wines, 2% rosé wines, and 3% white wines, produced by 175 growers.
• The municipal statutes of Vacqueyras adopted on 7 June 1541 comprise 48 articles, including one granting the right to sell one's own local wine free of any tax. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• The white wines display predominantly floral aromas tempered by fruity notes of citrus, with a structure and vivacity that lend breadth and a long aromatic finish.
• The red wines are dominated by red and black fruit aromas, often with hints of overripeness, candied or jammy fruit, evolving towards spiced and animal notes such as leather or game.
• The red wines have a generous, broad, and full-bodied palate, marked by a substantial yet unaggressive tannic structure, and represent powerful, round, and elegant wines with good ageing potential.
• The rosé wines, whose production remains limited, are fairly deeply coloured, rich, and powerful, generally fruit-forward, with a long aromatic finish.

• Red wines from rounded river-pebble soils combine power and tannic structure, while the sandier soils yield greater finesse and fruity aromas.
• The Mediterranean climate, moderated by the proximity of the Dentelles de Montmirail, provides good conditions for grape ripening without excessive temperatures.

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

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 14 novembre 2011, JORF 17 novembre 2011
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — Inter Rhône