Initially limited to the region of Marseille, viticulture in ancient times gradually spread to the northern Rhône.  In the 1st century BC, the Gauls depended entirely on Greek merchants for their supply of wine.  At that time a Gaul trader named Carius rose to prominence as a result of his commitment to the terroir and to creating the reputation of wine from the region. What’s more, the oldest known document referring to “Cairanne” is the “castri Cairane” (1123), from the name of Carius, the Gaul trader, with the addition of the suffix -ana.  Excavations in the “Les Plantades” lieu-dit in Cairanne’s Saint-Michel neighbourhood, have uncovered fragments of amphorae, confirming that there has been wine trading activity in the Cairanne area since antiquity.  The vineyards subsequently developed, particularly in the Middle Ages, under the influence of the Templars and then the Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.

The Cairanne appellation brings together the northern Rhône and its Syrah with the Southern Grenache and Mourvèdre grape varieties. Cairanne was called “Côtes du Rhône Cairanne” from 1953, then became Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne in 1967, before finally becoming a “Cru” (A.O.C. Cairanne) in 2015.

The Carius signature harmoniously reflects the typical qualities of the appellation – elegance, fruit, velvety texture, freshness.