For Rhône Wine lovers (like me!), tonight's red wine review is this lovely Vacqueyras that arrived at the LCBO last weekend as part of the September 10 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by Maison LAVAU, one of my favourite Southen Rhône producers. Maison LAVAU was founded in the Rhône Valley in 1964 by the Lavau family that had been involved in winemaking from Bordeaux to Tunisia for several generations. The Lavau family decided to settle in the Rhône Valley after being seduced by the richness and quality of the Provencal soils. Today, Lavau is a renowned and respected name in Rhône Valley winemaking with brothers Benoit and Frédéric Lavau at the helm of the family business. Over the years, the Lavau brothers have enhanced their expertise by becoming creators of cuvées and producers. Not only do they own wine estates covering more than 180 hectares of vines across the Rhône Valley, but they also have long-running partnerships with more than 350 growers so that Maison LAVAU is able to select the best terroir and grapes in order to craft top quality wines.

This red wine is crafted with 50% Grenache Noir, 40% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre, all grown in plots on the plain of Vacqueyras. The vines average 35 years old and are planted on alluvial and sandy, well-draining soils. Grenache is the emblematic variety of the Southern Rhône Valley, tolerating drought very well, while also providing juice that is very sweet, and often contributes power and volume to wine blends. Syrah is often trellised because it is not very resistant to the mistral winds, while adding a beautiful purple colour to the wines, along with intense fruit aromas and spices; Syrah also pairs very well with Grenache. Mourvèdre is the late-maturing variety that originated in Spain and produces intense and powerful wines with great finesse, and is particularly suited for ageing and ageing in wood. At the winery, the grapes for this wine were de-stemmed and placed in stainless steel, thermo-regulated vats for a 24-hour maceration, followed by fermentation. 60% of the cuvée is matured in vats, while the rest was aged in 450 L first and second-use barrels for a period of 12 months, before being blended together with the tank-aged portion.

The 2018 growing season in Rhône was a bit of a hit and miss. Winter and spring were wet and mild, but reasonably successful. In the Southern Rhône, there was unexpected rainfall in June that caused some difficulties with mildew and rot. The damp weather eventually dried up and gave way to a hot, dry summer. Despite a challenging growing season, the resulting wines were generally good with red wines more densely concentrated than typical with strong fruit flavours and structure. After enjoying the excellent 2017 LAVAU Vacqueyras in Spring of last year, let's see how this latest vintage is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

LAVAU VACQUEYRAS 2018 - AC, Rhône, France (#104927) (XD) - $26.95
Blend of 50% Grenache Noir, 40% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre. The fragrant, medium-high intensity offers lovely perfumed, ripe dark berry, purple fruit, dark cherry, and floral aromas with swarthy, scorched earth undertones. The medium-full bodied palate is ripe with smooth, refined, subtly structured and grippy tannins that support the ripe dark berry-cherry, purple fruit, earthy, and smoky flavours with subtle spicy notes. Acids are fresh and lively, Nicely balanced throughout with lovely dark berry, subtle smoky earth, and spice notes linger on the long finish. Highly recommended buy! Score: 92 pts

Other lovely wines by Maison LAVAU can be ordered through their Agent - Connexion Oenophilia.