ANNEX

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘La Clape’

PDO-FR-02113

Date of submission of the application: 26.11.2015

1.   Name(s) to be registered

‘La Clape’

2.   Type of geographical indication

PDO — Protected Designation of Origin

3.   Categories of grapevine products

1.

Wine

4.   Description of the wine(s)

‘La Clape’ AOC red wines

These are dry, still red wines with a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 12,5 %.

The fermentable sugar content at the marketing stage (in bulk or packaged) is equal to or lower than 3 g/l in the case of red wines.

The other analytical criteria are in line with EU rules.

The red wines have a brilliant, deeply intense colour, usually purple. Typically they have concentrated balsamic notes (pine resin, eucalyptus, etc.) and a perfume from the garrigue, a type of scrubland. The wines require at least a year of ageing on account of the marked presence of tannins.

‘La Clape’ AOC white wines

These are dry, still white wines with a minimum natural alcoholic strength by volume of 12 %.

The fermentable sugar content at the marketing stage (in bulk or packaged) is equal to or lower than 4 g/l in the case of white wines.

The other analytical criteria are in line with EU rules.

White ‘La Clape’ wines have very specific aromas and are produced from the blending of at least two grape varieties, including the indispensable Bourboulenc B (or ‘Malvoisie’).

They have a medium intense, yellow colour and an excellent balance between roundness and an acidic underpinning. Their rich palette of aromas usually includes white flowers, fruit, balsamic notes and a certain degree of minerality.

The white wines have an excellent balance between roundness and an acidic underpinning.

5.   Winemaking practices

a.    Essential oenological practices

Specific oenological practice

The use of wood chips is forbidden.

Any heat treatment of the wine harvest at a temperature above 40 °C is prohibited.

Planting density – Spacing

Cultivation practice

The minimum planting density of the vines is 4 400 plants per hectare. The spacing between rows may not exceed 2,5 m and each plant requires a maximum surface area of 2,25 m2.

Pruning of the vine

Cultivation practice

Pruning is carried out before stage ‘E’, with three leaves spread over the first two buds.

The vines are trained using short pruning and spurs, with a maximum of ten buds per vine. Each spur has a maximum of two buds.

The Syrah N and Roussanne B varieties may be trained using the ‘single Guyot’ method, with a maximum of nine buds on the vine, including, after debudding at the bunch closure stage, a maximum of five broken buds on the cane and one or two replacement spurs with a maximum of two buds on each spur.

Specific harvesting provision

Cultivation practice

For the white varieties, the weight of the grape harvest must be no more than 5 000 kg per skip used for transport.

Irrigation

Cultivation practice

Irrigation is authorised pursuant to the provisions of Article D. 645-5 of the Rural and Maritime Fisheries Code.

Malolactic fermentation

Specific oenological practice

Red wines ready to be marketed in bulk or packaged must have a malic acid content that does not exceed 0,4 g/l.

b.    Maximum yields

Still red wines

48 hl/ha

Still white wines

57 hl/ha

6.   Demarcated area

The grapes are harvested and the wines made, processed and aged on the territory of the following municipalities of the department of Aude: Armissan, Fleury d'Aude, Gruissan, Narbonne, Salles d'Aude and Vinassan.

7.   Main wine grapes

Vermentino B

Bourboulenc B

Grenache N

Grenache blanc B

Clairette B

Mourvèdre N

Marsanne B

Syrah N

Roussanne B

Piquepoul blanc B

8.   Description of the link(s)

The geographical area corresponding to the ‘La Clape’ designation of origin is located close to the Mediterranean Sea in the Department of Aude. It covers six municipalities in the La Clape uplands and its foothills, covering 32 870 ha. This natural barrier between the Mediterranean coast and the city of Narbonne is very well defined and was an island until the thirteenth century when the Narbonne plain was drained. The area is a karstic limestone plateau with no permanent watercourses. Its highest elevation is 214 m. The landscape is made up of hillsides and plateaus covered by scrubland and flanked by pine groves, and is basically given over to vine-growing, standing in contrast to the Aude alluvial plain with its mixed farming and nearby lagoons.

The area is at the heart of the Gulf of Lion and has a basically semi-arid Mediterranean climate with under 500 mm of rain a year. Summers are dry and so vegetation needs to adapt to this scarcity of water. The uplands of La Clape are characterised by high temperatures during the vine-growing season resulting in a higher minimum natural alcoholic strength than that of the appellation at regional level.

However, the vine-growing environment of La Clape is mainly determined by irrigation and drainage, coupled with the dominance of limestone in the soil which means that wine growers need to make a careful choice as to the correct variety for each parcel.

The area is also subject to winds, principally the ‘Cers’, a north-westerly that helps make the area exceptionally sunny with over 3 000 hours of sunshine a year. The environment of the vineyards is well-conserved and very varied: hilly areas, valleys, marly scarps and small karstic polje flatlands. The vineyards nestle in the surrounding scrubland which is dry and stony, or among stands of Aleppo pine, umbrella pine and sometimes eucalyptus.

This area is located in proximity to the Via Domitia Roman road which has meant that vine-growing has been a feature here since the sixth century BC. Thanks to vine varieties that are adapted to the surroundings, and quality that is boosted by caps on yields, wines from La Clape were recognised by means of the ‘VDQS’ quality label in 1951, followed by a complementary geographical designation of the ‘Languedoc’ regional appellation. In the uplands of La Clape the vine-growers have prepared the land in ways that best suit vine growing. Ideally suited to its purpose, the designated area (2 592 ha) only includes places where the dry climate is compensated by the level of water reserves in the ground, and where drainage is good. Parcels with alluvial or lake deposits have been excluded. In these conditions, plants and their production potential need to be extremely well managed by means of training vines, pruning short and low yields: 42 hl/ha in the case of reds (instead of 50 for the Languedoc appellation) and 52 for whites (instead of 60 in Languedoc).

For the white wines the climate and soil conditions lead to a maturity that in turn ensures complex aromas and roundness, together with an acidic underpinning that helps bring out the wines' flower and fruit characteristics, but with no heaviness. This originality makes itself felt perfectly with the blend of varieties and the obligatory use of a minimum 30 % share of Bourboulenc B. This variety is uniquely suited to the region thanks to its slow maturity, its exceptional ability to adapt to water scarcity and the way it makes the most of mist and rain in September. These are the factors that mean it can express its full potential and so contribute to the production of rounded, fine wines. White ‘La Clape’ wines have a medium intense, yellow colour with an excellent balance between roundness and an acidic underpinning. They have a rich palette of aromas which usually includes white flowers, fruit and balsamic notes. The limestone influence of the source rock provides a touch of minerality.

The varieties grown for the red wines are very well adapted to the hot and dry conditions in the area, particularly the Mourvèdre N and Grenache N varieties. Grapes of these varieties, harvested when they are mature, make for tannin-infused wines. Syrah N completes the blend of varieties and contributes to the wines' colour and intensity. The blend of these well-regarded varieties in the area makes for the production of particularly characteristic wines. The low fertility of the soils and their moderate yields give the red wines their deeply intense colour and mean that they age well.

The red wines thus have a brilliant, deeply intense colour, which is usually purple. The influence of limestone in the source rock contributes to the appearance of balsamic aromas. There are scents of concentrated balsamic notes (pine resin, eucalyptus, etc.) and a perfume from the garrigue. The wines require at least a year of ageing on account of their marked presence of tannins. In this way the wines improve and take on more concentrated and complex aromas.

9.   Further essential conditions

Broader geographical unit

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

Wines with the controlled designation of origin may specify on their labels the broader geographical unit ‘Languedoc’.

The size of the letters for this broader geographical unit must not be larger, either in height or width, than half of the size of the letters forming the name of the controlled designation of origin.

Non-mandatory information

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Additional provisions relating to labelling

Description of the condition:

The size of the letters of all optional terms whose use, under Community provisions, may be regulated by the Member States, must not be larger, either in height or width, than half of the size of the letters forming the name of the controlled designation of origin.

Area in immediate proximity

Legal framework:

National legislation

Type of further condition:

Derogation concerning production in the demarcated geographical area

Description of the condition:

The area in immediate proximity, defined by derogation for the vinification, processing and ageing of the wines, comprises the territory of the following municipality of the Department of Aude: Coursan.

Reference to publication of the specification

https://info.agriculture.gouv.fr/gedei/site/bo-agri/document_administratif-4a468959-24cd-46e1-ab2e-5f6eba98306a