Les Safres and marls of the Miocene period
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The small valley of the Oligocene and the Piedmont de Beauregard
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The Taper of the Font des Papes
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The large Terrace of the Garrigues
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The Blue Marls of the Pliocene
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The Cone dates from the Quaternary, 450,000 years ago. The fine, light-brown clay sands of the Font des Papes cone rest on 15 million-year-old Miocene safes (end of the Tertiary).
At the same time as the Ouvèze was depositing the aforementioned large terrace, a modest stream, originating in the western part of the Dentelles de Montmirail, poured into the plain under construction (alluvialization of the Ouvèze) a flood of sands and clays associated with limestone fragments which have gradually formed a lowered cone of dejection, very well preserved until today.
This cone of sandy, clay and stony materials extends the large terrace of Garrigues and develops in a north-eastern direction, that is to say towards the village of Gigondas.
Exposed to full sun and to the mistral like the Terrasse des Garrigues. Space benefiting from optimum sunshine (no shadows) and ventilation provided by the mistral that no obstacle can stop.
At Vacqueyras, this cone is made of very fine sands and beige to light brown clays, poor in lime fragments, without marked stratification. On the surface, the soil is characterized by beige to brown hues.
The load of small elements (clays, sands) among which the very fine sandy fraction represents a significant proportion gives a soil suitable for the conservation of a good water reserve and the storage of mineral elements that the vine can operate without restraint.
Coming from the Dentelles hundreds of thousands of years ago, the fine sands and clays of the Font des Papes cone combined their qualities to offer winegrowers an unusual terroir, which promotes the rooting of the vine and a regular evolution of maturity. The wines obtained are very delicate, rich in aromatic subtleties, fruity and silky.
Excellent results are obtained with the classic red grape varieties: the Grenache expresses itself with great finesse, the syrah offers unusual tannins, more supple than on the Garrigues terrace and the Mourvèdre can be installed there because of the good water reserve of the basement. The presence of white grape varieties benefits from a particularly favorable environment. Clairette and Roussanne are capable of giving the best of themselves.
The vine finds in this cone of Font des Papes a filial relationship with the Dentelles de Montmirail, which leads the wines to express a very delicate freshness and fruity.