Costières de Nîmes AOC | Château Monty

Costières de Nîmes AOC is located between the Cévennes, the Rhône and the Camargue. It is classified as the southernmost appellation of France’s Rhône Valley. It covers still wines of all three colours produced in an oblong-shaped area centered on Vauvert, between Nîmes and Arles in 24 communes (listed below), all of which are in the Bouches du Rhône department. The region was initially named Costières du Gard VDQS (1951). In 1986 it achieved AOC status and in 1989 was renamed Costières de Nîmes. In 1998 the Costières de Nîmes wine-growers’ syndicate requested their AOC be attached to the Rhône rather than to the Languedoc. It was upheld by the INAO, effective from 2004. The commune of Bellegarde also has its own Clairette de Bellegarde AOC.

Climate: The sun ensures optimum ripeness of the grape. Our motto “Sine Sole Nihil” (Nothing without Sun) symbolizes the search for a beautiful maturity while preserving the harmony of the wine. The vines of “Mourgues du Grès” benefit from the double north and south exposure of the Beaucaire plateau. Wind: Sea breezes from the south provide humidity which mitigates potential heat stress in August, when the soil is dry. The cool but dry North wind or Mistral tempers humidity, reducing disease in the run up to harvest. Wide day-night temperature differences help maintain freshess in the ripening grapes.

Soil: The “Costières de Nîmes” terroir is mainly made up of stony Quaternary alluvium from the Alps. It corresponds to the southern part of the Rhône glacier, hence its attachment to the Rhône Valley vineyard. The Rhône shaped the stony soils of the Quaternary creating a terroir of pebbles (sandstone) resting on clay-limestone marls. Deep deposits of pebbles left in what was the from the former bed of the Rhône river.

Grape varieties: 20 percent of the vineyard area must be Syrah.

Vineyard area & wine production: 2002 242,500 of which 9,105hl was white from 12,000ha of a possible 25,000 ha (Guide Hachette des Vins 2004, p.712). | 2006 ‘An appellation in transition…temporally between a bulk wine producer and a source of genuinely characterful, well-made wines,’ (Oxford Companion to Wine: 2006, p.205). | 2010 424 wine producers which included 404 growers, 96 private wineries, 17 cooperative wineries, and 3 merchant/producers (Source: Costières de Nîmes wine growers’ syndicat). | 2009 rosé accounted for approximately 37% of the total production. | 2013 ‘By 2013 4,193 ha/10,357 acres were dedicated to the production of appellation wine, about half of it red, and most of the rest rosé (Oxford Companion to Wine: 2015, p.214).

Confrérie vineuse: L’ordre de la Boisson de la Stricte Observance des Costières de Nîmes.

Sales: 2010 Supermarkets (46%), export (25%), direct sales (8%), bars, restaurants and hotels (8%), wholesale (7%), and wine shops (6%) (Source: Costières de Nîmes wine growers’ syndicat).

Wines

Costières de Nîmes AOC Blanc: This accounts for less than 5% of production. 50-100% Grenache blanc, Roussanne and/or Marsanne. 0-50% Bourboulenc, Clairette, Macabeo, Vermentino (Rolle) and Viognier (max. 20%) as secondary varieties.

Costières de Nîmes AOC Rosé: 60-100% Syrah, Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre. Some light, dry rosé is made as a by-product from the production of red wines (see immediately below), with the same permitted percentages of grape varieties, with a possible maximum of 20% of authorised white grapes. Try with charcuterie from the Cévennes (Guide Hachette des Vins 2004, p.712).

Costières de Nîmes AOC Rouge: 60-100% Syrah, Grenache Noir and Mourvèdre. 20% percent of the vineyard area must be Syrah. Grenache and Syrah must to make up at least 20 percent of any vineyard. Syrah is the king grape variety, accompanied by Grenache and Mourvèdre up to 80% of the grape variety, supplemented by 0–10% Carignan, Cinsault and/or Marcelan.

Wineries