Before the Phylloxera epidemic, Chatus was grown primarily in the sandy soils of Bas-Vivarais, though scattered plantings could also be found in Drôme and Isère.

What little vines remained were grafted on to American root stocks and Jacquez, and maintained until experimental wine making and replanting efforts were launched in 1989 and 1991, respectively.

While the wine is still little-known outside of Ardèche, an ONIVINS request for reclassification was obtained in 1997, and in 2000 growers set a limit of 50 hectolitres per hectare in the Cévennes, which were replanted with the variety.

Wines made from Chatus tend to be intense and tannic when young, and were historically blended with Courbès, a now extinct native Ardèche varietal, to add acidity and alcohol.

[1] The vine is upright, vigorous, and prefers high altitudes and siliceous soils, especially the detrital ridges south of the Massif Central.