Palette AOC

The small wine region range is stored in the center of the French wine-growing region of Provence southeast of the city of Aix -en- Provence. To the north of it lies the great appellation Coteaux d' Aix -en- Provence; Range is often referred to as Grand Cru this appellation.

The vineyards with only 40 hectares of vineyards are located on a rarely encountered limestone soil with the name Calcaire de Langesse. This soil type was reason enough for building a Appellation d' Origine ( AOC short ) are permitted areas in the municipalities Meyreuil and Le tholonet on 28 April 1948.. Some plots are in the area of Aix- en- Provence.

There is an incredible diversity of varieties with over 30 approved and some of them very rare grape varieties.

In general, subject to the harvest of a quantitative limit of max. 40 hectoliters / hectare.

Red wine and rosé wines are made from at least 50% of the main varieties Mourvedre, Grenache and Cinsault ( here called Plant d' Arles ) grapes. In addition, the varieties Brun Fourca, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Castets ( grape ), Durif, various red muscat varieties such as Muscat de Hambourg, Muscat noir de Provence, ..., Petit Brun, Syrah, Terret Gris, Téoulier (also Manosquin called ) and Tibouren, as well as a share of more than 15 % of all approved white grape varieties. The wines have a minimum alcohol content of 11 % by volume. They are aromatic, develop aromas of violets and age well.

For white wines, the grape Clairette Blanche is ( with a variety of game species such as Clairette à gros grains, à petits grains, Clairette de Trans, Picardan, Clairette Rose and Oeillade Blanche ) the main places that must have a minimum share of 55 % in the blend. Besides places are Aragnan Blanc, Colombard, Grenache Blanc, various white Muscat varieties ( Muscat de Frontignan, Muscat de The, rumen or rumen muscade du Roi René de Provence, ...), Pascal Blanc, Piquepoul Blanc, Terret Gris ( here Terret - Bourret called ) and Ugni Blanc.

Best-known wineries in the appellation are Château Simone and Château La Crémade which together have over 20 hectares of vineyards. In particular, the wines of these goods need at least 8 - 10 years bottle aging before they can fully develop but more than 20 years to be stored.