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In the Middle Ages, crossing this vast bandit-infested forest of scrubland could mean taking your life into your own hands; all you could do was commit your soul to God.

This could well be the origin of the name Plan de Dieu, meaning God’s Plain. Since those days, the area has been planted with vines which now cover 1060 hectares at an altitude of 100 metres, and only a few patches of woodland remain dotted throughout the vineyards. Vines grow on a bed of red clay packed to a depth of 10 meters with a mass of smooth-rolled cobbles. Given this thick, stony foundation, the soil is sparse and yields little in the way of fruit, barely enough to produce one bottle of wine per plant. The wines are all red, made from the Côtes du Rhône’s three leading grape varieties, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. From this soil, they produce well-coloured, dense and concentrated wines, with aromas reminiscent of the surrounding Garrigue scrubland: thyme, bay and undergrowth. To give the appellation a more memorable identity, winegrowers designed a special bottle, featuring the embossed words “Plan de Dieu” and the vineyard’s coat of arms: a bunch of grapes topped with a halo.

Plan de Dieu

History

2005
2005

Birth of AOC Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu

The first written historical reference to Plan de Dieu (from Plan Dei, the Plain of God) links it to viticulture - a document dating back to 1326, detailing an agreement between the villagers of Camaret and Travaillan, and setting out the boundaries of their vineyards and pastureland. In the Middle Ages, winegrowing was overseen by the area’s various religious communities, and the vineyards underwent a period of major expansion. In 2005, Plan de Dieu was awarded Côtes du Rhône Villages with geographical name status, applying to its red wines only.

Geography

Geography

The appellation extends across the communes of Camaret-sur-Aigues, Jonquières, Travaillan and Violès in the Vaucluse département.

Climate

Mediterranean type climate influenced by the Mistral wind.

Soils

The terroir is fairly uniform

A vast alluvial terrace formed by the Aigues and the Ouvèze Tributaries during the Riss Glacial Stage two or three hundred thousand years ago, overlaid with limestone pebbles from the Quaternary. The pebbles lie partly on Pliocene blue clay, partly on sandstone zaffre, supplying the vine roots with moisture to help ensure growth through the summer drought.

Key figures

Key figures of the appellation

100% red

Colors

32 hl/ha

Average annual yield

1087 ha

Production surface area

34 274 hl

Total production

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Inter Rhône - Key Figures 2021

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