LAVAU Rasteau 2019 (Rhône) - Wine Review

Tonight's red wine review is a lovely Rhône red wine from the southern Rhône Valley Cru of Rasteau that arrived at the LCBO this weekend in the January 21 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

Maison LAVAU was founded in 1965 after the Lavau family, who had been involved in winemaking for several generations, took charge of a small winemaking cellar a year earlier in Sablet, in the southern Rhône Valley. It was established by Jean-Guy Lavau, the third generation of the family, and his wife Anne-Marie as they returned to France from Tunisia. Together, Jean-Guy and Anne-Marie Lavau built a reputation as top quality winemakers in the region thanks to their dedication to high standards, attention to detail, and thirst for excellence. Recognized as a major local player, Maison LAVAU has developed close ties with other winegrowers, especially in the southern Rhône Valley.

Today, Maison LAVAU is run by their two sons - Frédéric and Benoît Lavau. After completing their studies in Canada, Frédéric joined the family business in 1995, and Benoît quickly followed in 1997. The Lavau brothers official took charge of the Maison in 2000 when their parents retired. Their youth, energy and adventurous spirit allowed them to further structure and develop the Maison, including building a new cellar in Violès, and investing in modern, high-performance cellar facilities. As talented winemakers and wine traders, the Lavau brothers also invested in vineyards to also become producers of wine. Maison LAVAU is today one of the last family-run and independent wine estates in the Rhône Valley. Their objective is to offer the very best of the Rhône Valley by producing top quality wines that are fine, generous, and affordable.

Like previous vintages, including the 2017 LAVAU Rasteau that I enjoyed a couple of years ago, this southern Rhône Valley red continues to be a blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. The village of Rasteau is situated on the summit of a hill at an altitude of 200 metres. The grapes for this wine come from parcels located near the village, on east-facing, stony hillsides that have a Mediterranean climate and offer some protection from the Mistral wind. The vineyards are planted on fairly deep, fairly dry, and pebbly terrain, which results in low yields and late ripening grapes.

It was vinified by completely de-stemming the grapes and placing them in temperature-controlled vats to macerate for around 25 days with rack-and-return operations at the start of fermentation, followed by two pumping-over operations per day. The wine was then aged in barrels for 12 months, with half going into 450 L second- or third-use barrels.

The 2019 growing season began with a wet winter setting the table for the region's vineyards to get through the hot, dry growing season. Grenache, in particular, excelled this vintage as it coped well with the severely hot weather and cooler nights that helped it retain acidity and aromas. Overall, the excellent 2019 vintage is a powerful, ripe vintage with localized areas of greatness. Let's see how this 2019 southern Rhône Valley red from Rasteau is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LAVAU RASTEAU 2019 - AC, Rhône, France (#394650) (XD) - $23.95
Blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Syrah. The fragrant nose of medium-high intensity delivers lovely, perfumed aromas of dark berry, black cherry, black plum, peppery spice, and meaty notes with subtle whiffs of violet, floral, and oak. It's medium-full bodied with ripe, dark fruited flavours of black cherry, black plum, cassis, peppery spice, violet, meaty, and subtle wood. It's slightly spicy on the mid-palate and has fresh, lively acidity, along with smooth, ripe, refined, and lightly chewy and well-structured tannins. Lovely smoky mineral notes linger on the long-lasting, juicy finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 90+ pts

Limited quantities of one other Maison LAVAU wine is available at the LCBO, while the rest of their portfolio can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.