Winemaker Notes
Outstanding served with grilled meats, hearty stews and aged cheeses.
"Vigne Lavail" is part of a collection of single-vineyard wines from the Roussillon, each carefully selected by the Ey (pronounced like the letter "A") family. The "Lavail" vineyard is located in the village of Maury in southern France's Roussillon district. Nicolas Battle, winemaker, belongs in the vanguard of a dynamic new generation of enologists. Battle's viticultural philosophy embraces "sustainable agriculture," which reduces the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides to a minimal level. This environmentally friendly approach requires constant monitoring of the vineyard and care on a vine per vine basis.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
An appellation solely for dry red wines from Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon-Villages is a step up in quality compared to, simply, Côtes du Roussillon. The area is in the northern third of Roussillon, bordered on its southern end by the Têt River, which runs precisely from west to east. Five villages can append their own name to the Côtes du Roussillon-Villages appellation name: Caramany, Latour de France, Lesquerde, Tautavel and the last, south of the Têt River, Les Aspres.
Côtes du Roussillon-Villages red wines are blends made from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and small amounts of Carignan, Cinsault and the lesser known, Lledoner Pelut (a relative of Grenache).