Cotes du Lot is the IGP title that covers wines made in the administrative department of Lot in South West France. The department, which lies southeast of Bordeaux, has been home to viticulture since Roman times and is most famous for its AOC-level appellation Cahors. The IGP covers wines made in the rest of Lot, allowing vignerons to use a geographical indicator more specific than Vin de France.
The Lot department is found on the very southern border of the Massif Central, the low mountain range that covers a large tract of southeast France. The topography is dominated by the Quercy Plateau, an undulating limestone plateau that is cut through by the Lot and Dordogne rivers. Most Lot vineyards are found in the valleys of these rivers, where the alluvial terroir is well suited to viticulture.
© Wikimedia/Christophe Finot
The area has a transitional – but largely maritime – climate that takes influences from both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. A rainy spring season provides plentiful hydration for vineyards throughout the year, and hot, sunny summers and long, warm autumns provide a lengthy ripening period. In the higher altitudes nearer the Massif Central, the climate is more continental.
Grapes have been grown along the banks of the Lot river for thousands of years, although phylloxera, two world wars and a major frost in the 1950s saw vineyard acreage decimated. In the early 21st Century, vineyards began to spring up again, particularly around the town of Rocamador. Nowadays, under the IGP law, wines produced in this commune may append the Cotes du Lot IGP with Rocamador as a more specific geographical indicator.
Cotes du Lot IGP wines can contain any grape variety that is sanctioned for use in France, although growers have clear favorites: Merlot, Gamay, Cabernet Sauvignon and the Cahors mainstay Cot (Malbec). The majority of the wines that fall under the IGP are red and rosé, but a small amount of white wine is made, mainly from Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.
The IGP was previously known as Vin de Pays du Lot prior to the 2009 introduction of the Indication Géographique Protégée category. This change was implemented in order to shake off the poor consumer image of the Vin de Pays category, as well as bringing French wine labeling in line with European Union standards.
