Rasteau, produces distinctive wines with notes of black fruits and leather, as well as minerality contributed by the vineyard’s famous stony hillsides.
The history of the Rasteau vineyard stretches back to the Middle Ages, when the bishops of Vaison-la-Romaine decided to make Rasteau their main supplier, as they loved its wines so much. Later, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this vineyard grew from strength to strength, becoming one of the leading villages in the Rhône Valley. This rise saw the red wines of Rasteau come under the “Villages” appellation in 1966 and, more recently, in 2010, they were named ‘Cru des Côtes du Rhône’.
The terroir of Rasteau is formed of chalky clay soils, skeletal soils on marl and red soils on sandstone. They also contain galets roulés (large, round rocks) brought from the Alps by the river Ouvèze during the melting of the glaciers, more than 18 million years ago.
The red wines of Rasteau are known for their power, with particularly meaty tannins, which lend themselves very well to laying down for a long period.