There
are three main soil types in the lands of Tavel :
-
quartz round pebbles on the villafranchienne terrace : Vallongue.
-
flat lime stones originating from the Barremien crumbled hill-stones :
Campey, la Vaute, Romagnac, Torette, la Vau et Clos, Les Vestides,
les Comeyres, Vaussières.
-
Astien fluvial sands : Vaucrose, Vaucrose et Vacquières,
Genestière, Codoyères, Le Palai, Roquaute, Bouvette,
Olivet.
Some
parcels have mixed subsoils, as in Cravailleux, where round pebbles
and flat stones can be found as well as Astien fluvial sands and pebbles.
The
soils are mostly poor in humus and organic matter, making Tavel an
ideal land for winegrowing.
Pebbles
and stones have a definite effect on the vines : Barremian flat
stones are whitish and tend to reflect most sunrays during the day,
activating the maturation of the berries. As for Villafanchian pebbles,
they accumulate heat during the day that they release during the night.
The
climate in Tavel can vary considerably depending on the spot;
there can easily be a 2° Celsius difference between the east and
west of the lands, like on the Vallongue plateau, more exposed to
the cold Mistral, and Campey or Romagnac. What happens is some plots
can be frozen while others aren’t, resulting in a different stage
of maturity during the wine harvest, by a few degrees. Generally speaking,
we have over 200 days of sunshine per year with average temperatures
at 22°Celsius in summer, and 7.3° Celsius in winter. Rainfalls
average 201 mm in summer and 503 mm the rest of the year. As for the
Mistral, it blows on average 158 days per year out of which more than
100 days at 60km per hour. Sometimes, as was the case in May 2000,
the winds can blow at over 100 km per hour, for over a week.
Grape
varieties
The
grapes authorized in Tavel AOC (Appelation d’Origine Contrôlée)
are the following :
-
Grenache, Cinsault, Clairette white and pink, Picpoul, Calitor (out
of fashion : there are only a few dozens of vines left), Bourboulenc,
Mourvèdre, Syrah and Carignan.
None these grapes must exceed 60 % of a vineyard’s total, and
Carignan must not exceed 10%.
The
Tavel appellation vines exploited by the Domaine de la Mordorée
are located on the plateau of Vallongue, at Palai, Roquaute, and Romagnac
; their composition is as follows : Grenache 60 % , Mourvèdre,
Syrah and Cinsault 10%, Bourboulenc and Clairette 5%.
Plot in AOC Tavel, this area is called Vallongue West
Plot
in AOC Tavel, an harmonious mix of sand and clay, planted with 8 years
old Syrah.
The
wines produced here are rounded and fruity.
To
be noticed : one can see some pebble stones coming from the Vallongue
plateau located on the left of this picture.
Lands
& subsoils, climates, grape varieties in Chateauneuf du Pape
and Domaine de la Mordoree for this appellation
There
are three main subsoils in Châteauneuf du Pape :... (more)
