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Buy OnlineLush and polished, this Rasteau is delicious right out of the box. Leading the blend is fruit from Grencahe vines 80 years old, wrapping a generous texture around darker fruit and chocolatey spice flavours. A shining example of the village and a regular star in the Tardieu line up, the Old Vine Rasteau is a must at this price.
Domaine Tardieu-Laurent was established in 1994. It is a partnership between Dominique Laurent, a former pattisier (and with the girth to go with it) and one of the hottest names in Burgundy, and Michel Tardieu, a dynamic young winemaker. Tardieu-Laurent is an extremely unusual operation in that they are a négociant only, buying young wines from growers all over the Rhône, which they mature and blend before bottling. They own no vineyards and don't buy grapes, only wine. Tardieu-Laurent is very much an "artisan" producer, making between half a dozen and 20 or so barrels of each wine. The majority of the wines are from the southern Rhône although superb cuvees of Cote Rôtie and Hermitage are also produced. The wines are all aged in small oak casks (often 100% new) and bottled with no fining nor filtration. Michel Tardieu proclaims himself as a confirmed terroirist, insisting that his aim with each appellation is to express powerfully the fruit and sense of place, never masking these factors with wood.
92/100 James Suckling (2021 Vintage)
"Aromas of dark berries, dark cherries and dried herbs with some spicy and meaty undertones. It’s full-bodied with creamy tannins and texture. Rich and voluptuous with creamy berries in the finish. Drink or hold."
16.5/20 Jancis Robinson MW (2021 Vintage)
"70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, grown on limestone-clay slopes and blue and yellow clay. Grenache vines are 80 years old; Syrah and Mourvèdre 40. 100% destemmed. Aged 10 months in one- and two-year-old barrels then 10 months in foudre. Cask sample. Purplish crimson. Meaty nose with something savoury about it. Very round indeed. Good balance and none of the aggressive tannin that can mark some wines from this appellation. Just comes to a slightly taut, dry end at the moment. I’d wait for it to loosen up a bit; all the elements are there. Drink 2025 – 2035."
