AOP Rosé - St Chinian

Geology

The terroir from St Chinian is divided into  2 parts by the Orb and Vernazobres rivers . In the Norh , schists and sandstones represent more than 90 % of the soil volume from 40 cms deep and under . This type of very acidic soil does not hold water much and the vine has got to adapt to great droughts .In the South ,  the sea left deposits of limestone  in the secondary era that mingled with bauxite and clay .You can see several small plateaus with  very thin layers of ground compelling the vines to go deeper to get their nutrients .

Climate

Typically mediterranean .Average annual temperatture : 14°C

Grape varieties

Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault, Lladoner Pelut for reds and rosés. For the whites 4 main grape varieties Grenache blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Rolle and  5  additional grape varieties  : Viognier, carignan blanc, maccabeu, clairette and  bourboulenc.

Vinification

Red: traditional fermentation  or carbonic maceration . Rosé : bleeding , draining or  direct pressing methods  . White  : direct pressing .