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The « terroirs »
The great variety of soil types and the age of the vineyards permit a wide range of traditional grape varieties to be cultivated in the region, bringing richness and breadth of aromas to the wines.
- The Left Bank terraces : implanted along the banks of the Tarn river on well exposed gravelly soils.
- The slopes of the Right Bank: exposed south, dominating the entire Tarn Valley. The soils are majoritarily deep limestone clay.
- The Cordes Plateau: near to the medieval city of Cordes-sur-Ciel dominates the steeply sloping Vère valley. Its soils are primarily stony white chalk.
- Cunac: to the east of d'Albi, is naturally orientated towards the production of Gamay used for the ‘nouveau’ wines and primeurs of great quality.
The Cave de Labastide is the only one in Gaillac to make wines from all four of these areas, resulting in wines of great expression.
The climate
The region benefits from two climatic influences:
The mild oceanic climate limits the risk of frost and brings optimum hydration to the vines.
The warm Mediterranean influence in summer and autumn, accentuated by the Autun wind, ensures perfect grape maturities.
Thus our grape harvest almost always takes place in good weather.
