Appellation
Côtes du Rhône Villages
Identity card
VillageAOPRedRoséWhite
Rhône Valley · Recognised on 2 November 1966
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- A separate appellation, from selected plots within the Côtes du Rhône.
- At most 44 hl/ha and at least 12% natural alcohol, without a geographical name.
- Reds and rosés: 98% of the output.
Grape varieties
RedRosé
Accessory varieties: Bourboulenc, Vaccarèse (grape entry not yet written), Carignan, Cinsaut, Clairette, Clairette Rose, Counoise (grape entry not yet written), Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Marsanne, Muscardin (grape entry not yet written), Piquepoul Blanc, Piquepoul Noir (grape entry not yet written), Roussanne, Terret Noir, Ugni Blanc, Viognier
Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 80% of the holding's vines
Grenache Noir · at least 40% of the holding's vines
Mourvèdre, Syrah · at least 25% of the holding's vines
White varieties: at most 5% of the vines for red, 20% for rosé
Red: at least two principal varieties including Grenache; at least 66% of the wine
White
BourboulencClairetteGrenache BlancMarsanneRoussanneViognier
Accessory varieties: Clairette Rose, Grenache Gris, Piquepoul Blanc, Ugni Blanc
Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier · at least 80% of the holding's vines
Blend made mostly from the principal varieties
Production rules
44
hl/ha
Maximum yield
12
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
- 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 148 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 14.5 % ABV across 97 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Slopes and terraces, from Montélimar to Avignon
- Soils: River terraces, marls, limestone, sands, molasse
- Climate: Mediterranean, dry summers; mistral about 120 days a year
Wine style
- Red
- Rosé
- full and generous
- good colour
- ageing potential varies
- White
- round
- sometimes spicy
- sometimes vanilla
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
21 November 2024
Order of 21 November 2024 approving the specification of the PDO “Côtes du Rhône Villages” (JORF no. 0277 of 23 November 2024, text no. 25; BO of the Ministry of Agriculture of 28 November 2024). Appellation first recognised by the decree of 2 November 1966.
Labelling terms
- 21 possible geographical names: Séguret, Sablet, Visan…
- Ten names, including Plan de Dieu and Nyons, for red only
- With a geographical name: at most 41 hl/ha; reds at least 12.5% natural
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Côtes du Rhône Villages »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
A southern Rhône appellation, separate from Côtes du Rhône, whose area runs between Montélimar and Avignon across 95 communes of the Ardèche, Drôme, Gard and Vaucluse. Its wines come from selected plots inside the Côtes du Rhône area, under stricter rules. Reds and rosés make up most of the output; the reds blend Grenache with Syrah or Mourvèdre. The appellation's name may be followed by one of 21 geographical names, such as Séguret, Sablet or Visan.
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