WineRegionsOld WorldFranceRhoneSouth
The Lirac vineyard is planted on the dry slopes on the right bank ofthe Rhone alongside Tavel, and overflows into the neighboring villages ofSaint-Laurent-des-Arbres, Roquemaure and Saint-Genies-de-Comolas. In thesixteenth century Roquemaure was a busy port on the Rhone, and thence thewines of the Cotes du Rhone, left for Paris, England and Holland. The basicvines are grenache and cinsault, together with clairette for the white wines,mourvedre and syrah for the red. But there is a secret to Lirac. As wellas the main vine varieties there are others counoise and maccabeo for exampleand the proportions give a special personality to each growth. Vinifiedas rose, it is drunk young and fresh, just as the very unusual and onlytoo rare white wine. The red. on the other hand reaches perfection onlyafter being aged for two or three years.
