Cabardès () is an ''

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

'' (AOC) for red and rosé wine in

Languedoc-Roussillon Languedoc-Roussillon (; ; ) is a former regions of France, administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, it joined with the region of Midi-Pyrénées to become Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It comprised five departments o ...

wine region in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Cabardès was named after the Lords of Cabaret who defended the Châteaux de Lastours against

Simon de Montfort Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester ( – 4 August 1265), also known as Simon V de Montfort, was an English nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the baronial opposition to the rule of ...

in 1209. Despite the name's medieval origins, this appellation is one of the youngest in France, having only become official in February 1999.

History

The residents of the Cabardes region produced wine as early as the Roman occupation, but the modern appellation was made official only in 1999. It had previously been a VDQS wine under the alternative names Cabardès and Côtes du Cabardès et de l'Orbiel since 1973. The unique requirement of blending Mediterranean varieties and Atlantic varieties is the result of experimentation in cultivation and blending that began in the late 1970s. As of 2007, these wines were relatively unknown in France, and their export, in terms of volume, is exceptionally rare due to limited production quantities and a relatively small marketing budget.

Geography and climate

Rocky vineyard soil of ventenac cabardes terroir

The vineyards of the Cabardes cover a mere 500 hectares on the northwestern border of the modern Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. This area runs up against the foothills of the

Montagne Noire The Montagne Noire (; , known as the 'Black Mountain' in English) is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central at the juncture of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departments. Its highe ...

.Henry E. Teitelbau
In France's Cabardes, Bordeaux meets Languedoc
May 25, 2007 The Wall Street Journal Europe The appellation really consists of a small grouping of villages directly north of the medieval walled city of

Carcassonne Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department. ...

. It is exceptionally small in size compared to the neighboring AOC areas like the 5,100 hectare-large Minervois or the 15,000 hectare behemoth of the Corbieres. The soil composition varies between chalky clay, limestone and rocky foothill terroir. The weather is largely dominated by the powerful wind currents of the region, the dry, Atlantic vent Cers and the warm, Mediterranean vent Marin. The appellation's location where these winds meet on the border of two major French climatic zones creates a unique

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...

that has influenced its development as a winemaking region.Jancis Robinso
Vintner turns e-author
December 21, 2010 JancisRobinson.com

Grapes

Most of the

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

produced in the Cabardès is red, but rosé can also be produced under the AOC designation. The region is positioned on the cusp between the distinct climates of the

and the southwest of

. The appellation is the only AOC in France that permits the blending of grape varieties typically found in

Mediterranean climates A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typica ...

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...

and

Grenache Grenache (; ) or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry condi ...

with varieties typically found in Atlantic climates like

Merlot Merlot ( ) is a dark-blue-colored wine grape variety that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of , the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color ...

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux (wine), Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire (wine), Loire's C ...

and

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...

. Winemakers are required to grow 50% Atlantic varieties and 50% Mediterranean varieties, and must also blend them - the new requirements from 2011 rule that the proportions of both Atlantic or Mediterranean varieties must be 40% or higher. This varietal composition reflects the distinctive soil qualities and dominant winds of the area.

References

External links

Official website of the AOC Syndicate
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabardes AOC Languedoc-Roussillon wine AOCs

History

Geography and climate

Grapes

See also

References

External links