Winemaker Notes
Its deep aromatic complexity and very special balance are the hallmarks of a great wine. This wine features a robe that is a dazzling ruby color. Notes of spice open onto a cocktail of red and white fruit on the nose. On the palate, there is a gorgeous, generous mouth feel with a wide diversity of fruit and exceptional structure and balance that define this wine.
Delicious with lamb curry, poultry in cream sauce, bouillabaisse, paella, Asian cuisine, goat cheeses.
Blend: 45% Grenache, 20% Clairette, 15% Cinsault, 8% Mourvèdre, 6% Syrah, 4% Bourboulenc, 2% Picpoul
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Chateau d'Aqueria's 2020 Tavel is a solid effort from one of the appellation's most consistent and widely distributed producers. It's medium to full-bodied in the mouth, ripe and round with ample flesh and a rich, silky feel, which easily carries the wine's berry, peach and crushed-stone notes through a long, mouthwatering finish.
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Vinous
Vivid salmon skin. Highly fragrant red currant, cherry, orange pith and floral qualities on the nose. Picks up a subtle white pepper nuance with air, which complements and sharpens the juicy red fruit, blood orange and fennel flavors. The long, gently chewy finish shows fine detail and lingering cherry and citrus fruit notes. Drinking Window 2021-2025.
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Decanter
Expressive watermelon and pear aromas. Fairly full-bodied even for a Tavel, this is rounded and generous on the palate, with low but balanced acidity and persistent fruits into the long finish. 45% Grenache, 20% Clairette, 15% Cinsault, 8% Mourvèdre, 6% Syrah, 4% Bourboulenc and 2% Piquepoul Blanc. Drinking window: 2022-2026
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Wine Enthusiast
Delicate notes of red cherry and apple blossom introduce this full-bodied but freshly concentrated expression of Tavel. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Clairette, it highlights zippy blackberry and crisp black-plum flavors against a backdrop of cassis acidity and lingering veins of graphite. This delightful dry rosé should delight red and white wine lovers alike.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
The only all-rosé appellation in the Rhone, a Tavel comes in many hues from light salmon to bright pink and is said to be the only rosé that can actually age—and improve. The rosé wines of Tavel have a great historic reputation, having been favored by King Louis XIV in the 18th century, as well as famous authors, Balzac and Mistral.
Tavel are always dry but the high percentage of the fruity Grenache (30-60% of the blend by law) and even Cinsault, give charming aromas and flavors that make them feel "almost sweet." A great Tavel rosé will have a bouquet suggestive of rose petals, apricot, strawberry and red currant. The palate may be fleshy, round and layered but is always fresh and balanced.