The
wines of Minervois
Under this name you will find red, rose, white wines
and Muscatl, classified in AOC in 1985.
The geographical area which gathers the vineyards of
Minervois is rather vast and is situated at the far
west of Herault and in a good part of the Aude departement.
Indeed, Minervois domaine starts north at the bottom
of the Montagne Noire and spreads to the south at the
Canal du sud. The area goes just above the town of Narbonne
and ends at the doors of Carcassonne.
The grounds are composed of rollers, sandstone, schists
or limestones, schist and white marble. They benefit
from a typically Mediterranean climate even slightly
oceanic to the south and colder in the north near the
Montagne Noire.
The type of grapes used for the production of the red
and rose wines are Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Grenache.
For the white wines Marsanne, Roussanne, Maccabeu, Bourboulenc,
Rolle, Clairette and Muscat.
Some Minervois reds can be vigorous if they come from
the heights while the white are often fresh and flowered.
As for the Muscat Saint Jean de Minervois, it is soft
and fruity.
