Livre Vins de Cassis

APPELLATION

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Le second terroir, c’est celui des Janots. Ici, l’influence marine se fait moins sentir et si les sols sont toujours très calcaires, ils sont assez fertiles, car il y a dans le sous-sol de grandes réserves d’eau disponibles. De plus, la plupart des vignes regardent à l’est, ce qui les expose un peu moins longtemps au soleil, d’autant que les pentes sont plus faibles que dans le terroir du Cap. Les Janots constituent sans doute le terroir le plus adapté pour la marsanne. Le dernier terroir, Le Plan, est la partie la plus septentrionale du vignoble. C’est aussi celle qui présente la plus grande proportion d’argiles et de marnes, grises ou blanches (avec quand même, quelques secteurs caillouteux). Cette zone ne craint pas trop la sécheresse et accueille donc volontiers tous les cépages de l’appellation. Comme son nom l’indique, c’est une zone plutôt plate, assez ouverte aux vents.

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In 1995, another decree set out a set of rules governing vine planting to avoid excessive diversity of styles. For white wines, at least 60% of vines planted have to be the two main varietals of Clairette and Marsanne, within which Marsanne has to account for a minimum of 30%. Among the secondary varietals (Doucillon – aka Bourboulenc, Pascal Blanc, Sauvignon, Terret Blanc and Ugni Blanc), the rules require the percentage of Terret Blanc to be no more than 5%. No maximum or minimum percentage is specified for the main varietals used in the region’s red and rosé wines (Barbaroux, Carignan, Cinsaut, Grenache and Mourvèdre), although the only secondary varietal – Terret Noir – is limited to 5% of vines planted. At the same time, the maximum yield is set at 45 hectolitres per hectare, the minimum density of planting at 4,000 vine stocks per hectare, and a maximum gap between rows of 2.50 metres for all new planting.

the surrounding cliffs. But neither of these facts should obscure the distinct differences between individual areas within the appellation in terms of soil and meso-climate or even microclimate. In the first terroir, which stretches from the Couronne de Charlemagne to Cap Canaille, the vines are planted on steeply sloping land most commonly cultivated as earth terraces or terraces retained by dry stone walls. Here, the limestone is rich in iron oxide, and the vines must be able to withstand the ambient dryness, which is tempered a little by the residual humidity of the onshore breezes created by temperature differences between the sea and the air. This is the preferred terroir for the Mediterranean varietals of Clairette, Bourboulenc, Ugni, Grenache and Mourvèdre. The second terroir is that of Les Janots. Here, the marine influence is less predominant, and, although the soils are still dominated by limestone, they are more fertile due to the volume of water reserves held by the subsoil. Additionally, the majority of the vines face East, giving them slightly less exposure to the sun, while the slopes are less severe than in the terroir of the Cap. Les Janots is undoubtedly the most suitable terroir for the Marsanne grape. The third and final terroir – Le Plan – is the most northerly.. It also has the highest proportion of grey and white clays and marls, although some localised areas have stony soils. This area also presents no risk of excessive drought, and is therefore suitable for all the

One commune, three terroirs

Cassis is genuinely a single-commune appellation, because its 215 hectares of vineyards are all contained within the commune of Cassis. This administrative consistency overlaps with an equally consistent unity of geology, because limestone dominates this landscape in the form of the sedimentary heritage of ancient seas or rocks fallen from

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