A model of longevity, the Plan de Dieu is innately strong, able to withstand the harshness of the local climate – which shapes the unique character of the Côtes-du-Rhône, an earth flower that turns into wine.

Christophe Tassan

Sommelier and Rhone Ambassador

In the Middle Ages, when crossing this vast, bandit-infested “forest “of scrubland, you were taking your life in your hands. All you could do was commit your soul to God. Maybe this is the origin of the name Plan de Dieu (God’s Plain). Since those days, the area has been planted with vines, which now cover an area of 1,500 hectares at an altitude of 100 metres, and there are only a few remaining patches of woodland. The vines grow on a bed or red clay packed to a depth of 10 metres with a mass of smooth-rolled pebbles. Given this stony foundation, the skimpy soils yield little: barely enough grapes to produce one bottle of wine per vinestock! The wines are all reds, made from three of the Côtes du Rhône’s leading grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. From this soil, they produce wines that are high in colour, dense and concentrated. The nose is reminiscent of the surrounding garrigue (scrubland), with scents of thyme and bay laurel.
Fifty or so wine-growers produce wines of this appellation, which was granted Côtes du Rhône Villages status in 2005. To give it a more distinct identity, they designed a special bottle. It features the Plan de Dieu inscription and the vineyard’s coat-of-arms: a grape cluster surmounted by a halo. Not a bad idea!

Grape varieties

Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu AOC wines are made mainly from the Grenache noir grape, blended with a minimum of 20% Syrah and Mourvèdre. This mix yields wines with a concentrated bouquet, rich in the flavours of red-berry fruits, spices and the scents of the garrigue, which over time develop notes of leather, aniseed and liquorice…
The minimum permitted alcohol content is 12.5%.

History

The connection between Plan de Dieu (Plan Dei) and viticulture is first mentioned in a parchment dating from 1362, an agreement between the inhabitants of Camaret and Travaillan defining pasturage and wine-growing areas. The Plan de Dieu vineyards developed considerably in the Middle Ages, with the encouragement of the various religious communities established there.

In 2005, the wines were granted Côtes du Rhône Villages status, the appellation applying only to still reds.

Voir le cahier des charges de l'appellation (INAO)

The soil

This fairly uniform terroir is really a vast alluvial terrace formed by the Aigues and Ouvèze rivers during the Riss Glacial Period two or three hundred thousand years ago, overlaid with chalky gravel dating from the Quaternary Era. The gravel rests partly on blue clay from the Pliocene Epoch, partly on zaffre sandstone, which ensures that moisture reaches the roots of the vines and enables them to go on growing during the summer drought.

Key Figures