Appellation
La Livinière
Identity card
VillageAOPRed
Languedoc-Roussillon · Recognised on 12 February 1999
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- Red only, in the heart of the Minervois area
- Mourvèdre and Syrah: at least 40% of the vines
- At most 42 hl/ha, at least 13% natural alcohol
Grape varieties
Red wine onlyGrenache NoirLledoner PelutMourvèdreSyrah
Accessory varieties: Carignan, Cinsaut, Piquepoul Noir, Rivairenc, Terret Noir
Grenache Noir, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 60% of the holding's vines
Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 40% of the holding's vines
Grenache Noir, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 40% of the blend
Carignan, Cinsaut, Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 80% of the blend
At least two varieties; none above 80% of the blend
In italics, without a link: grapes with no entry yet.
Production rules
42
hl/ha
Maximum yield
13
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
Minimum ageing: At least until 15 October of the year after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 90 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 13 % ABV across 85 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Montagne Noire foothills, facing S/SE, 120–330 m
- Soils: Tertiary molasse, sandstone, lacustrine limestone, terraces
- Climate: Hot and dry; 400–500 mm a year; cool nights
Wine style
- Red
- deep colour
- spice, cooked fruit
- concentrated, tannic
- able to age
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
2 September 2022
Order of 2 September 2022 approving the specification of the AOP “La Livinière” (JORF no. 0212 of 13 September 2022, text no. 8; published in the Bulletin officiel of the Ministry of Agriculture on 15 September 2022, BO no. 38). Appellation first recognised as “Minervois-La Livinière” by the decree of 12 February 1999.
Labelling terms
- The larger geographical unit "Languedoc" may appear
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine protégée « La Livinière »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
In the heart of the Minervois area, in the Petit Causse backed by the foothills of the Montagne Noire, La Livinière covers five communes of the Hérault and one of the Aude. The appellation makes red wine only, blended from at least two varieties: Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvèdre and Syrah are its principal grapes, with Mourvèdre and Syrah on at least 40% of the vines. The wines are aged at least until 15 October of the year after the harvest.
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La Livinière
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