Blanquette de Limoux

AOC · traditional method · Mauzac

Blanquette de Limoux is a sparkling wine from 41 communes around Limoux in the Aude, made with at least 90% Mauzac and a second fermentation in the bottle.1,2 Limoux sparkling wines based on Mauzac were recognised as an appellation in 1938.2,3

Grapes and method

Three varieties are allowed: Mauzac, Chardonnay and Chenin. Mauzac must make up at least 90% of the plantings and of the blend.1 The wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle, as in the traditional method.2,1

Hand harvesting is one of the key rules of the cahier des charges. In 2017 the producers asked INAO for an experiment with machine harvesting, which shows how central the rule is.1

Area and volume

The appellation covers 41 communes in the upper Aude valley.2,1 For the 2016 harvest, 31,414 hl were declared from 581 ha, about 40% of the sparkling wine production of the Limoux area.1 The Limoux cahier des charges was approved by decree n° 2011-1788 of 5 December 2011.1

History

Limoux sparkling wines based on Mauzac were recognised as an appellation in 1938.2,3 An older date is often told as part of the story.

Legend: local tradition holds that the monks of the abbey of Saint-Hilaire near Limoux made sparkling wine in 1531. This date is not mentioned in the INAO documents we consulted, so we treat it as a tradition, not as documented history. What is documented is the recognition of Mauzac-based sparkling wine as an appellation in 1938.

Three sparkling wines of Limoux

WineMain grapeMethod
Blanquette de LimouxMauzac, at least 90%second fermentation in bottle
Blanquette méthode ancestraleMauzacsingle fermentation finished in bottle
Crémant de LimouxChardonnay, Mauzac at most 20%second fermentation in bottle

Sources for the table: INAO documents and the Crémant de Limoux cahier des charges.1,3,4

What we could not verify

The current Limoux cahier des charges could not be located. The rules above come from INAO product pages and a 2017 INAO document, and the minimum time on the lees for Blanquette de Limoux is not stated in them, so this page does not give one.

See also

Blanquette méthode ancestraleRegionsCrémant de LimouxRegionsMauzacGrapesTraditional methodMethodsAncestral methodMethodsFranceRegions

Sources

  1. INAO. Demande d'expérimentation: machines à vendanger, AOC Limoux mousseux (CNAOV, 15 June 2017) (2017-06-15)
  2. INAO. Fiche produit AOP Limoux (blanc)
  3. INAO. Fiche produit AOP Limoux (méthode ancestrale)
  4. Ministère de l'Agriculture (BO-Agri). Cahier des charges AOC « Crémant de Limoux » (décret n° 2011-1785, modifié par arrêté du 10 Oct 2017), BO-Agri (2017-10-10)

Facts checked on 2026-10-19