Appellation
Malepère
Identity card
AOPRedRosé
Languedoc-Roussillon · Recognised on 2 May 2007
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- Red: Merlot, at least half the vines and 40% of the wine
- Rosé: Cabernet Franc, at least half the vines and 40% of the wine
- Western Aude: "Atlantic" and Mediterranean grapes together
Grape varieties
Red
Accessory varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsaut, Grenache Noir, Lledoner Pelut
Merlot · at least 50% of the holding's vines
Cabernet Franc, Cot · at least 20% of the holding's vines
Merlot · at least 40% of the blend
Cabernet Franc, Cot · at least 20% of the blend
At least two varieties; Merlot leads the blend
Rosé
Cabernet Franc · at least 50% of the holding's vines
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsaut, Cot, Grenache Noir, Merlot · at least 20% of the holding's vines
Cabernet Franc · at least 40% of the blend
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsaut, Cot, Grenache Noir, Merlot · at least 20% of the blend
At least two varieties; Cabernet Franc leads the blend
Production rules
50
hl/ha
Maximum yield
12
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
4,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: Reds: at least until 15 February 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 93 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 90 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 96 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: Slopes and terraces around the Malepère massif
- Soils: Mostly molasse, from sandy limestone to clay
- Climate: A transition between Mediterranean and oceanic influences
Wine style
- Red
- ruby, fairly bright
- small red fruit
- then black fruit, spice
- ample, a touch of liveliness
- Rosé
- pale, bright colour
- white-fleshed fruit
- fresh attack
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 AOC “Malepère” (JORF no. 0209 of 9 September 2022, text no. 13; published in the Bulletin officiel of the Ministry of Agriculture on 15 September 2022, BO no. 38). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 2 May 2007.
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Malepère »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
In the west of the Aude, the appellation covers 39 communes set around the Malepère massif, between the Lauragais, the Aude valley and the Limoux area; its climate is a transition between Mediterranean and oceanic influences. It makes dry reds and rosés, always blended from at least two varieties, bringing together so-called "Atlantic" and Mediterranean grapes. Merlot is the principal grape of the reds, Cabernet Franc that of the rosés.
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Malepère
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