Corbières' vineyards date back to Roman times. A victim of its own success and condemnation from the big transalpine properties, its rapid development under the reign of Augustus was interrupted on the orders of Domitian. The region recovered under the influence of the large Cistercian and Benedictine abbeys (Lagrasse, Fontfroide), but was halted once again by the Albigensian crusade, which brought general havoc and devastation. The 18th century brought a new golden age, with Corbières wines being exported as far as Scotland and Russia. The great diversity of the soil (schist, limestone, sandstone and marl) in Corbières' vineyards is reflected in the recognition of eleven terroirs spread throughout the appellation. With AOC approval for red, rosé and white wines since 1985, the appellation area extends from the walls of Carcassonne to the lakes of Leucate and La Nouvelle, and from the foothills of the Pyrenees to the Montagne Noire ("Black Mountain"), in a quadrilateral formed by Carcassonne, Narbonne, Perpignan and Quillan. In their youth these wines develop aromas of blackcurrants, blackberries, spices, pepper and scents of garrigue. With time, they present secondary aromas of old leather, coffee and cocoa, game and undergrowth.