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«Terroir is a French word for "earth" or "soil". It is used in the sense of "place" which includes localized climate, soil type, drainage, wind direction, humidity and all the other factors that combine to make one grape-growing location different from another.»
The vineyards of the Château de Bouchassy benefits from a typically Mediterranean
climate, and make good use of the sun's favours: it shines for 2,700 hours a year!
And the average annual temperature is close to 14°.
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Rainfall is low, not exceeding 700mm a year. In this area the Mistral is always a consideration. It blows fiercely, chasing away diseases and cleansing grapes before the harvest. The dry and arid soils restrain the growth of the vines – which therefore produce less wine, but of higher quality.
The vineyards of the Château de Bouchassy in A.O.C Lirac appellation have three very distinct faces:-
On the boundaries, the vines were planted on limestone massifs where a series of erosions have
deposited on the surface a thin layer of red clay and gravel
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At the centre, the vineyard is formed of age-old alluvial terraces laid by the Rhône
consisting of quartz pebbles and red clay, which all lie on a sand bed.
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The slopes of these terraces reveal sands mixed with small pebbles, which derive from successive landslides.
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Grenache Noir (60%) , Syrah (20%), Mourvèdre (15%) and Cinsault (5%), which contribute to the red wines,
have taken up residence on the limestone plateaux which are made of large pebbles,
and where the vines have all the natural riches needed to thrive.
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Grenache (65%), Cinsault (25%) and Mourvèdre (10%), the varieties behind the rosé, prefer the lighter,
sandier soils, from which they draw their freshness and rounded structure.
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The white grapes varieties that produce the white wines are a remarkably diverse collection:
Grenache Blanc (40%), Clairette (30%), Rousanne (15%) and Viognier (15%).
Their favourite patch is the scrubland, from which they draw their finesse and aromatic complexity.
