Cabardes

Cabardès is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for red and rosé wine in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region of France. Cabardès was named after the Lords of Cabaret who defended the Châteaux de Lastours against Simon de Montfort in 1209. Despite the name's medieval origins, this appellation is one of the youngest in France, which became official in February 1999. Most of the wine produced in the Cabardès is red but rosé is also produced under the AOC designation.
The vineyards of the Cabardes cover a mere 500 hectares on the northwestern border of the modern Languedoc-Roussillon region of France, an area that runs up against the foothills of the Montagne Noire. The appellation really consists of a small grouping of villages directly north of the medieval walled city of Carcassonne. It is exceptionally small in size compared to the neighboring AOC such as the Minervois or Corbieres.
The soil composition varies between chalky clay, limestone and rocky foothill terroir. The weather is largely dominated by the powerful wind currents of the region, the dry, Atlantic vent Cers and the warm, Mediterranean vent Marin.