Côtes du Rhône Cru AOC Rasteau

Climate: Mediterranean

Soils: Clay/Rocky

Website appellation: https://www.vins-rasteau.com/fr/

Production surface area in 2023: 963 HA

Total production in 2023: 32 084 HL

Average annual yeld: 33 HL/HA

Export: 27%

Recognition in AOC by the I.N.A.O.: 2010

Commune: Rasteau

• Mourvèdre, 
• Syrah

• Bourboulenc, 
• Brun argenté (locally known as Camarèse or Vaccarèse), 
• Carignan, 
• Cinsault, 
• Clairette, 
• Clairette rose, 
• Counoise, 
• Grenache blanc, 
• Grenache gris, 
• Marsanne, 
• Muscardin, 
• Piquepoul blanc, 
• Piquepoul noir, 
• Roussanne, 
• Terret noir, 
• Ugni blanc, 
• Viognier

Specifications for the appellation

Vines were likely growing in Rasteau as early as 30 BC, but the vineyards remained largely forgotten until the Middle Ages, when interest in winegrowing was revived by the ecclesiastical communities - so much so that by the 18th century, the Rasteau vineyards were the largest in Vaucluse.
In 1870, phylloxera ravaged the vineyards, and growers turned to American rootstocks; in 1935, they went back to their roots and started to produce a Vin Doux Naturel. In 1937, the village became part of the Côtes du Rhône AOC; in 1944, a separate AOC was created for Rasteau’s Vins Doux Naturels and in 1966, the dry red wines produced in Rasteau were promoted to Côtes du Rhône Villages status. In 2010, with hard work and determination from the winegrowers, Rasteau dry reds were elevated to a Cru in their own right.

Mediterranean influence; south-facing slopes give some protection from the Mistral wind.

One of Rasteau many advantages is its varied soils, which give its wines a wonderful richness of flavour, somewhere between elegance and power.
There are clay/limestone soils, sparse soils over marl and red soils on sandstone. Rootstocks are chosen to take account of the soil type, so each vine can be grown in the most suitable location.
Many parcels are covered in rounded cobbles, carried down from the Alps by the Ouvèze when the glaciers melted over 18 million years ago. These retain heat well, storing it by day and releasing it to the vines at night to produce excellent concentration in the grapes. In summer, the vines must search deeper to find the nutrients they require.
They develop strong root systems which helps minimise hydric stress; thus the “poor” Rasteau soils can, in fact, produce extremely high-quality wines.

The AOC vineyards extend across a major part of the village in the Vaucluse département.

The AOC wines must contain at least 50% Grenache. Grenache noir is Rasteau’s primary varietal, and is found in all of its wines.
It gives the wines aromatic structure, and adds generosity and roundness. Grenache is a vigorous grape, resistant to both wind and drought. It suits the Rasteau terroir with its sunny hillsides and dry, poor soils perfectly. Rasteau wines are made from old vines, and are heady and well-structured, with scents of ripe fruit and spices. Syrah and Mourvèdre are added to Grenache to make a balanced wine. Syrah, famously used for the Crus of the northern Côtes du Rhône, is the most recent addition to Rasteau. It gives the wines an intense colour, and an elegant, complex character with notes of black fruit, violet, and spices. Mourvèdre is grown only where sun exposure is good, and gives tannic, structured wines with aromas of woodland and fruit preserves. Other authorised grape varieties include Carignan, a traditional Mediterranean varietal which thrives in the heat, is resistant to drought and wind and is eminently suited to the hot, dry terroirs of Rasteau.
The wines produced in these poor soils are well-coloured and structured, with good ageing potential.