30 years of Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde

Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde was created in 1996, becoming the third in the family of five officially recognised appellations within the broader Côtes du Roussillon Villages AOP.

Thirty years on, this high‑altitude red‑wine appellation in the northern Roussillon, has earned a reputation for powerful spicy red blends with distinctive minerality.

Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde lies in the high Agly Valley in the Fenouillèdes, a wild mountain area located between the Pyrénées and the Corbières foothills, north-west of Perpignan.

The appellation covers three communes: Lesquerde, Lansac and part of Rasiguères and stretches over 66 hectares of vineyard on a plateau at 320m altitude.

Vines, including an impressive old-vine stock, are planted on granitic sand with high iron and gypsum content. This is one of the most distinctive terroirs in the Roussillon. Grapes grown on the granitic plateau produce powerful but delicate wines with an intense mineral expression.

Approved varietals are Grenache noir, Carignan noir, Syrah and Lledoner Pelut. Under appellation rules, blends must include at least two of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan.This aligns with the broader Villages rules, which emphasise multi‑varietal blends for complexity. Yields of 25 hl per hectare for a total production of 1617hl were recorded in 2025.

Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde AOP reds are racy with black spicy fruit, mineral, graphite, and floral notes. Structured and age-worthy, the best examples marry Roussillon richness and mountain freshness.

Some of the most notable producers in Côtes du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde include M. Chapoutier (Domaine de Bila‑Haut), Domaine Semper, Les Vignerons de Maury, Les vignobles des Côtes d’Agly, le Cellier Trémoine and a handful of other producers, high‑quality estates working the granite plateau around Lesquerde.