Lirac

🇫🇷 France

AOC Rare find

Directly across the Rhône from Châteauneuf-du-Pape with the same galets roulés soils, Lirac was serving wine to Papal courts in 1357 and was the first appellation to use the term "Côtes du Rhône."

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Region profile

History

Pope Innocent VI ordered 20 casks of wine in 1357 during the Avignon Papacy. Henry IV and Louis XIV served Lirac at court. In the 18th century, Roquemaure magistrates began branding casks with "C.d.R." - making Lirac the FIRST to use "Côtes du Rhône" term. Then tragedy: 1863 phylloxera introduction. Recovery in 1947 when Count Henri de Régis de Gatimel successfully petitioned for AOC cru status.

Climate: Mediterranean with 2,700 sunshine hours annually; Mistral blows 180 days/year; 60% galets roulés, 30% sandy soils, 10% limestone; 841 hectares surrounded by 3,000 hectares forest
Signature wines: Château de Ségriès Lirac Rouge Cuvée Réservée - Robert Parker called this estate "a super value treasure trove." Henri de Lanzac purchased from Count Henri de Régis (founder of Lirac AOC) in 1994. 58 hectares of 80-year-old vines. Price: $18-28.
What sets it apart: Oldest documented wine in Côtes du Rhône and first produced in all three colors. 1863 phylloxera introduction makes Lirac both birthplace and near-destroyer of French wine. Offers Châteauneuf-du-Pape quality at half the price.

Facts

Lirac may be ground zero for phylloxera - in 1863, experimental American vines at Château de Clary introduced the vine louse that destroyed 70% of European vineyards. 74% of producers now certified organic/biodynamic.

Region profile from the Wine Memories wine-data corpus · verified January 2026