Winemaker Notes
Enjoy with lamb cooked with herbes de provence or other Mediterranean dishes.
Blend: 50% Grenache, 50% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The quality at Lavau seems to be on the rise, and the 2015 Rasteau is one of the company's best efforts to date. It's full-bodied but plush and approachable, with cracked pepper and ground spices accenting red plums and a long, silky finish. Bravo!
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Wine Enthusiast
Crisp blackberry and cherry flavors are bright, but this complex wine is more about their interplay with earthier tones of smoke, game and mushroom. Rich and full on the palate yet balanced firmly with tannins and acidity, it's a stately wine with a lingering, slightly astringent chestnut finish.
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Wine Spectator
This sports a pretty singed mesquite frame around a juicy core of gently mulled plum and raspberry fruit. A flash of licorice root chimes in on the finish. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2019.
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.
A highly successful southern Rhone village promoted to Cotes du Rhone Villages status because of its intense and heady red wines, Rasteau is also recognized for its fortified wine, Vin Doux Naturel. Grenache is responsible for both styles. Rasteau also produces refreshing white and rosé table wines.