In the Côtes du Rhône, at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, lies the Plan de Dieu territory, covering the communes of Travaillan, Violès, Camaret and Jonquières.
Close to its predecessors, Rasteau, Gigondas and Vacqueyras, Plan de Dieu boasts a rich geology and particularly low yields.
In the “Did you know” section, it takes its name from the Middle Ages, when the region was full of brigands and other unsavory people, and it was necessary to recommend one’s soul to God before crossing it; the 1500-hectare terrace offered few places to hide.
The first written records of the vineyard’s history date back to 1326, but the origins of vines on this territory seem more likely to date back to the Roman occupation.
Since 2005, Plan de Dieu has been one of the very last Côtes du Rhône Villages. It now has a union bottle emblazoned with its coat of arms: a bunch of grapes surmounted by a halo. The appellation produces only red wines, at an average price of less than €10 a bottle.
An exceptional, homogeneous terroir
The vineyard is located on a vast alluvial terrace of the Riss, topped by Quaternary limestone pebbles and resting on a bed of Pliocene blue clay. From the end of the Tertiary and the beginning of the Quaternary era, there was a succession of ice ages and temperate periods, including the important Riss period. After each glacial period, the climate warmed up, causing the ice to melt and releasing large masses of water, carrying with it all the sediments that had been present in the depths for millennia. Sand, gravel, clay and pebbles spread out in sheets to form this vast alluvial terrace. For each period, for each sedimentary distribution, nature has shaped the territory or, more precisely, the terroir.
The great particularity of the appellation is the exceptional homogeneity of its terroir. It is, therefore, the winemaker’s art alone, in his vinifications and blends, that will bring out the variations in Plan de Dieu wines.
A harsh climate for distinctive wines
The appellation is located in southeastern France, in the Rhone corridor. The prevailing Mistral wind and sunshine keep the vineyards healthy, reducing the need for treatments to a strict minimum. The rigors of this climate, dry and hot in summer and very cold in winter, combined with the specific characteristics of the soils, result in low yields (around 30 hl/ha) for intense, concentrated wines. No more than one bottle per vine!
The right grape varieties
Like many vineyards below the 45th parallel, Côtes-du-Rhône méridionales, of which this appellation is a part, is a blend of several grape varieties. Grenache noir accounts for half of the blend, with Syrah and Mourvèdre accounting for a minimum of 20%. The wines are concentrated in richly-flavored aromas combining red fruits, spices and garrigue scents, which evolve over time towards tones of undergrowth and licorice…
During a presentation event, we were able to taste some very good vintages that we recommend to you, in particular :
COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES PLAN DE DIEU 2009
DOMAINE DE L’ARNESQUE Traverse M. Ode – 84150 JONQUIERES 04 90 40 32 84
[email protected] – www.arnesque.com
COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES PLAN DE DIEU – CUVEE FABIEN 2011
DOMAINE DES BANQUETTES La chevalière – 84110 RASTEAU 04 90 46 10 22
COTES DU RHONE VILLAGES PLAN DE DIEU EXALTATION CORSÉE 2010
LE CAVEAU CECILE-DES-VIGNES
35, route de Valréas – 84290 SAINTE-CECILE-LES-VIGNES
04 90 30 79 38
[email protected] – www.ceciledesvignes.fr
CÔTES DU RHÔNE VILLAGES PLAN DE DIEU – GRATITUDE 2011
CHATEAU LA COURANÇONNE
Le Plan de Dieu – 84150 VIOLÈS
04 90 70 92 16
[email protected] – www.lacouranconne.com
CÔTES DU RHÔNE VILLAGES PLAN DE DIEU 2011
DOMAINE LE GRAND RETOUR
RD 23 – Plan de Dieu – 84850 TRAVAILLAN
04 90 70 90 16 – 06 78 66 06 73
[email protected]
CÔTES DU RHÔNE VILLAGES PLAN DE DIEU 2010
DOMAINE MARTIN
Plan de Dieu – 84850 TRAVAILLAN
04 90 37 23 20 – 06 16 01 65 60
[email protected] – www.domaine-martin.com
Cette publication est également disponible en : Français (French)
