Lirac rouge and rosé
Blend makeup in Lirac red and rosé wines favor the classic Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre (and Cinsault) combination. These "principal" varieties must make up the majority of any red or rosé wine blend.
In the vineyard, plantings are more rigorously defined. Grenache must comprise a minimum of 40 percent of plantings while Syrah and Mourvèdre combined must account for a minimum of 25 percent of vines.
Carignan, Clairette Rosé, Counoise, Grenache Gris, Marsanne, Piquepoul Blanc, Piquepoul Noir, Roussanne, Ugni Blanc and Viognier are all classed as "accessory" red/rosé varieties. Carignan can comprise no more than 10 percent of any red wine-destined vineyard while Clairette Rosé, Counoise, Grenache Gris and Piquepoul Noir cannot, combined, also surpass the 10 percent mark.
White varieties within a nominally red wine vineyard cannot take up more than five percent of plantings (20 percent for rosé production).
In the final blend, where a red wine is made with any portion of white grapes, all accessory varieties therein are limited to no more than 10 percent (combined) of the total blend makeup. This goes up to 20 percent in rosé wines.
Lirac blanc
White varieties are generally made from Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne – the principal varieties. As with Lirac rouge and rosé, these must compose the major portion of any white Lirac wine.
Accessory grapes are: Marsanne, Picpoul, Viognier and Ugni Blanc. Once again, regulations are more stringent in the vineyard than in the bottle.
In the vineyard, principal varieties are – individually – limited to a maximum of 60 percent of plantings while accessory varieties, individually, can account for a maximum of 25 percent of any site. However, accessory varieties can – combined – comprise no more than 30 percent of any vineyard.
Flavor profile
Lirac's reds are similar in style to the softest of the Côtes du Rhône Villages reds. Several ambitious producers now make a heavier style of wine, more akin to those of Châteauneuf-du-Pape just across the Rhône river.
The appellation's rosé wines can offer a more affordable alternative to those of neighboring Tavel, whose prestige forces prices up, often undeservedly. The vineyards of these two rivals are separated only by a parish boundary, and enjoy much the same combination of warm, dry weather and soils.
