Soil
It is made up of a semi-moutainous area including hills and steep slopes with schist soil covered with green oaks and garrigue. It is an enormous natural hunting park where partridge, rabbits and boars live.
The vineyards' plots are terraced over these woody hills. Some of the plots of land are only consist of a few rows of grape plants that run down the narrow slopes, winding through the garrigue and rocks to meet up a little lower down, thereby making them resemble "rivers of vines".
It's also the sunniest region of France and plant maturation is often accelerated by the dry and violent Tramontane wind.