Maison Tardieu Laurent - Rasteau - Vieilles Vignes

Extreme year, extreme Wine? Wrong ! Well, not ineluctably true. Here, the Old Vines are, once again, in the spotlight, and very particularly in this Appellation. No imbalance, no ostentatious power, but crispness and drinkability. Like thumbing one’s nose at preconceived ideas !

Presentation

The vintage
It is not in our nature to be pessimistic. Even less to be alarmist. But the strength of the situation is imposed us : the French Vineyard suffers head-on the effects of climate change. It is not an isolated case. Obviously. Simply, we are, here, in a position to take the measure of this alteration, vintage after vintage ...
2019 vintage was marked by an extreme drought. Between April and September, the Vineyards did not benefit from any serious rain. The little water that fell would evaporate before it had even moistened the soil. To add to the anticipated catastrophe, June broke heat records.
The disaster, considering volumes or quality, could only be major. Yes, but... But the Vines, and especially the old Vines, are capable of resistance, of resilience, which impose respect…We can but watch. And humbly admire this plant which strives to adapt... And we are shaken at the idea that, one day, the current upheavals will exceed the permissible thresholds, and that our wonderful Grape varieties may be forced to fade...
Finally, harvest time came… No water in the soils. Barely a few drops… And this was the moment when Mother Nature gave a little help ! In mid-September, salvaging rains - some twenty millimetres - completely changed the face of the Vintage. The Vines, that lack of water and strong heats had stressed, relaxed, and the phenolic maturities were triggered...A winning bet for the Vignerons who made the choice of being patient ! But, how not to wonder, when “miracles” appear as more and more requisite “ingredients” with each new vintage... ?
Paradoxically, white wines display beautiful freshness of aromas and taste. Exquisite balances harmonize the underlying concentration… Minerality, highlighted by tailored healthy cultural practices, structures the Wines. The reds are built, dense and deep. A synthesis between the 2007 and 2016 Vintages. And thus, in the end, 2019 will probably be valued as one of the “Legend Vintages”…
Type of soil
Limestone-clay slopes and blue and yellow clay.
Ageing
10 months in one vintage old barrels. Allier and Tronçais. Then 8 months in foudre.
Vinification
1/3 non destemmed.
Varietals
Grenache : 70%
Syrah : 20%
Mourvèdre : 10%
Specifications
Alcohol content : 14,5% % vol.
Bottling : Without fining and filtration.
Age of vines : Grenache: 80 years, Syrah and Mourvèdre: 40 years years old

Advice

Serving
14°C
Decant an hour before tasting.
Tasting
Attractive elegance of this Wine, despite of a power which still remains a trifle ostentatious. The Cuvée will benefit from the élevage… Longer than usual élevage - the Wine deserves it - so as to gain even more finesse.

Reviews

91-93/100
"Tasting like the essence of these sun baked slopes, the 2019 Rasteau Vieilles Vignes offer a rich, powerful, full-bodied style as well as classic Rasteau notes of black cherries, chocolate, scorched earth, and pepper. Rich, concentrated, and structured, it's going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for over a decade."
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