Vineyards: at the foot of the mountainside village of Cairanne, in the Vaucluse department, the vineyards have extended since the fifteenth century towards the Plan de Dieu and the Plaine de l’Aigues.
Soil types: red earth on sandstone, argillaceous terraces, stony skeletal soil much of which is sandy molasse.
Climate: typical Mediterranean climate.
Background: the vineyards were developed in the Middle Ages firstly under the aegis of the Knights Templars, then the Hospitaliers of Saint-John-of-Jerusalem. Cairanne has been named Côtes du Rhône Cairanne since 1953 and became Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne in 1967.
Area under cultivation*: 921 hectares, yearly production: 29 458 hl ; basic yield: 32 hl/hectare
* Source: harvest statement 2009.
Grape variety mix:
for the reds, Grenache 50% minimum, Syrah and / or Mourvèdre 20% minimum, other Appellation grape varieties tolerated 20% maximum.
For the rosé, Grenache 50% minimum, Syrah and / or Mourvèdre 20% minimum, other grape varieties tolerated 20% maximum, white grape varieties 20% maximum (Grenache, Clairette, Marsanne, Roussanne, Bourboulenc and Viognier).
For the whites, Grenache white, Clairette white, Marsanne white, Roussanne white, Bourboulenc white, Viognier white, other white grape varieties tolerated 20% maximum.
Minimum alcoholic strength: for the red 12.5%, for the rosé and whites 12%.
