Terroir Océanique - Villelongue d'Aude, vignoble Domaine Rosier
Altitude 300 to 450 meters. Average rainfall 780 mm / year.
To the west of Limoux, situated in the part of the ‘appellation’ region going in the direction of Toulouse, this ‘terroir’ is characterized by a temperate, humid climate subject to influence from the West and periods of hot weather. The vines mature later than in the Méditerranéen and Autan areas. ( About 2 weeks difference).
Terroir d'Autan
Altitude 150 to 200 meters. Average rainfall 570 mm/year.
Sheltered from the West and East by two mountainous masses (the Corbières and the Chalabrais) right in the centre of ‘appellation’ territory on the hillsides surrounding Limoux, it has the advantage of a hot, dry climate, which means that it comes second in the order of grape harvesting, immediately after the Terroir Méditerranéen.
Terroir Méditerranéen
Altitude 100 to 200 meters. Average rainfall 650mm/year.
To the East of Limoux in the area going towards Montpellier; its warm climate is tempered by the wind coming from the sea, which provides an ambient humidity, occasionally very high, which results in a rapid increase in sugar content. It is in this area that the first grapes are harvested each year.
Terroir Haute Vallée
Altitude above 300 meters. Average rainfall 750mm/year.
As you follow the Aude towards the Pyrénées, this terroir, which is wetter and colder has a late spring and cool autumn. Sometimes the ‘vendage’ (grape harvest) is just beginning, when the harvest is finishing in the Piémont Méditerranéen. It is the favoured ‘terroir’ for Chardonnay and Merlot.