Côtes du Rhône Cru AOC Tavel

Climate: Mediterranean under the influence of Mistral wind

Soils: Sandy / Limestone / Clay / Rocky

Site web de l'appellation : http://www.vin-tavel.com/

Production surface area in 2023:  838 HA

Total production in 2023: 30 775 HL

Average annual yeld: 37 HL/HA

Export: 34%

Recognition in AOC by the I.N.A.O.: 1936

Commune: Tavel

• Bourboulenc, 
• Cinsault, Clairette, 
• Clairette rose, 
• Grenache blanc, 
• Grenache gris, 
• Grenache noir, 
• Mourvèdre, 
• Piquepoul blanc, 
• Piquepoul gris, 
• Piquepoul noir,
• Syrah

• Calitor, 
• Carignan blanc, 
• Carignan

Specifications for the appellation

Vines have been cultivated in this area since the 5th century BC, planted by the Greeks and developed by the Romans. Tavel had an enviable location on a major route between the Roman settlements at Roquemaure and Nîmes, the perfect place to grow and develop. A variety of artefacts dating back to this period have been found, including amphora fragments depicting bunches of grapes. Meanwhile, the name Villa Tavellis, from which Tavel derives, first appeared in written documentation in the 13th century. In the mid- 14th century, Pope Innocent VI was particularly fond of wines from the Rhône’s right bank, and served the wines of Prieuré de Montézargues at the Papal court; the priory’s wine estate still exists today, lying at the heart of the Tavel AOC area.
When the Papacy returned to Rome, and right up until the French revolution, the region’s wines were exported to Italy. In 1902, Tavel formed a union to represent their owner-winegrowers; and in 1927, at the suggestion of Baron Pierre Le Roy de Boiseaumarié, Aimé Roudil, union president, led 40 Tavel producers in petitioning the Gard authorities to officially define the production area. Tavel was awarded AOC status in 1936, and has since become France’s leading rosé wine.

The climate has Mediterranean influences, with low rainfall and an average of 2,700 hours of sunshine a year. It is heavily influenced by the Mistral wind.

The Tavel winegrowing area can be divided broadly into 4 sections. The first is alluvium generated by the Rhône, and is found on the hillsides of Lirac and Tavel, in the form of alluvial deposits covering the lower and mid terraces. The second is an area of sand dating from the Mid-Pliocene, lying between Tavel and Roquemaure. Limestone marl deposited during the Lower Barremian forms the Villeneuve-les-Avignon, Les Angles and Tavel massif makes up the third section, and finally, an area of Upper Barremian Urgonian Limestone making up the Tavel-Rochefort du Gard massif comprises the fourth. These are primarily crystalline clay and reef limestones with gravelly detrital limestone.

The vineyards lie in the commune of Tavel in the Gard département, on the right bank of the Rhône.

Grenache noir is the basis for Tavel wines. The other grape varietals allowed in the blend are Cinsault, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Mourvèdre, Picpoul and Syrah. Carignan and Calitor are also used, but infrequently. The colour of Tavel’s rosés can vary from deep salmon pink to rose pink with a glimmer of ruby. Their complex nose of red berry fruit mellows into smooth notes of stone fruit and almonds, while the full, rounded palate shows superb fullness of flavour, underpinned by a touch of spice.