Côtes du Roussillon

The Côtes du Roussillon wine region stretches between the Corbières Mountains and the Pyrenees, covering more than 5,600 hectares spread across 118 municipalities in the Pyrénées-Orientales department. Within this appellation, 32 municipalities are eligible for the Côtes du Roussillon Villages designation, which produces only red wines. Within this appellation, four specific vineyard sites are particularly distinguished and have their own specific appellations: Côtes du Roussillon Villages “Caramany,” Côtes du Roussillon Villages “Lesquerde,” Côtes du Roussillon Villages “Tautavel,” and Côtes du Roussillon Villages “Latour de France,” the latter covering the five municipalities of Latour de France, Cassagnes, Montner, Estagel, and Planèzes.

The vineyards of the Côtes du Roussillon and Côtes du Roussillon Villages are situated on soils and subsoils that are geologically very diverse (limestone, clay-limestone, schist, gneiss, granite, alluvial terraces, etc.) across five major areas: the Agly Valley (to the north), the Têt Valley (in the center), the Tech Valley (to the south), and the Salanque Plain, on the Mediterranean coast (to the east).

Production is around 175,000 hectoliters per year, of which approximately 30% is red wine, 65% is rosé, and 4% is white wine, made from traditional Roussillon grape varieties (black and white Grenache, Carignan, Lladoner Pelut, Cinsault, Macabeu, Malvoisie du Roussillon) and more recently introduced aromatic grape varieties (Syrah, Mourvèdre, Roussanne, Marsanne, Vermentino). Côtes du Roussillon red wines are full-bodied, fruity, and spicy. The rosés stand out for their fresh aromas evoking red berries and floral notes. The white wines are refined and delicate, with notes of citrus, white-fleshed fruits, and floral scents. To best explore these blends, the wines offered by Domaine Sarda-Malet are particularly worth noting. Within the Côtes du Roussillon Villages appellation, excellent examples of the terroirs’ quality can be found among the wines from Domaine du Clos des Fées, Mas Karolina, Mas Amiel, Domaine Gardiès, and Maison M. Chapoutier.