Appellation
Palette
Identity card
RegionalAOPRedWhiteRosé
Provence · Recognised on 28 April 1948
Key points
- At most 45 hl/ha; at least 11.5% natural alcohol, for all three colours.
- Hand harvest; whole bunches in containers of 50 kg at most.
- On parts of three communes: Aix-en-Provence, Meyreuil and Le Tholonet.
Grape varieties
White
PicardanBourboulencClairetteClairette Rose
Accessory varieties: Colombaud (grape entry not yet written), Furmint, Grenache Blanc, Muscat à Petits Grains, Muscat of Alexandria, Pascal, Piquepoul Blanc, Terret Gris, Ugni Blanc
Picardan, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Clairette Rose · at least 55% of the holding's vines
Terret Gris · 20% at most of the holding's vines
Picardan appears as "araignan" in the text
RedRosé
Accessory varieties: Brun Fourca, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Castets, Durif (grape entry not yet written), Muscat de Hambourg, Syrah, Téoulier (grape entry not yet written), Terret Gris, Tibouren
Cinsaut, Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre · at least 50% of the holding's vines
Mourvèdre · at least 10% of the holding's vines
Each principal grape at most 80%; red Muscat à Petits Grains also allowed
Rosé: up to 15% of the white-wine grapes in the vineyard
Production rules
45
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
4,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: Reds: 18 months in wood, until 1 April of year +2; others: 1 April of year +1
- 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 129 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 14 % ABV across 79 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 136 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: A cirque below the Sainte-Victoire, sheltered from the north
- Soils: Stony clay-limestone on lacustrine limestone
- Climate: 3,000 h of sun, 650 mm/year; Étang de Berre breezes
Wine style
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
4 July 2024
Arrêté du 4 juillet 2024 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Palette » (JORF n°0160 du 7 juillet 2024, texte n°57 ; publié au Bulletin officiel du ministère de l'agriculture le 11 juillet 2024). Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 28 avril 1948 ; aire parcellaire approuvée en séance du 6 mai 1965.
Labelling terms
- "Vin de Provence" may appear, beside the appellation name
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Palette »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
A tiny appellation straddling Aix-en-Provence, Meyreuil and Le Tholonet, recognised in 1948, whose authorised varieties are unusually broad for so small an area: down to rarities such as white Furmint, of Hungarian origin, or Muscat de Hambourg, ordinarily a table grape. Mourvèdre is bound by an explicit floor of at least 10% of the red and rosé blend, and the reds are aged at least eighteen months in wood.
Mini-challenge
Palette
3 questions on Palette, all answered right, and the appellation is mastered in your Atlas.
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