1. Rhone Valley Rasteau Wines Tastings & Value.
Below are faces of winemakers from a recent visit to the Rasteau wine region of the Rhone Valley in France.
Recent Forbes posts are here. Two regard Rhone Valley wines in the Rasteau appellation.
Rolling Stones Impact Rhone Valley Rasteau Wines
Rhone Valley Rasteau Wines Tasted For Value
One article includes value scoring for wines, so I am including the table below.
An evaluation of the ‘value’ of various wines is included in the table below. Optimal values in terms of price/quality are indicated as Superlative Value ♫♫♫, followed by Excellent Value♫♫ followed by Good Value♫. No value score may indicate that the price/quality combination is not unusual for that region, or that data is unavailable. The table below only includes the wines that were evaluated.
These value evaluations were generated with my proprietary Vino Value algorithm. This algorithm has been calibrated based on tasting thousands of wines during the past nine years. More information is here.
| Winery/Wine/Year | Quality Scoring Based On 100 Point Parker System | Cellar Price Euros | Vino Value Evaluation |
| Domaine les Evigneaux. Rasteau AOP. 2019. | 94 | € 13.00 | Superlative Value ♫♫♫ |
| Domaine des Escaravailles. La Ponce. Râsteau AOP. 2021. | 93 | € 14.50 | Excellent Value♫♫ |
| Domaine des Escaravailles. Heritage 1924. Râsteau AOP. 2021. | 95 | € 20.00 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine Grange Blanche. L’Archange. Râsteau AOP. 2020. | 92 | € 17.00 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine Grand Nicolet. Terre des Bertrand. Vielles Vignes.Râsteau AOP. 2022. | 92 | € 11.80 | Excellent Value♫♫ |
| Domaine La Luminaire. Luminaris. Côtes du Rhône Villages. 2022. | 92 | € 13.00 | Excellent Value♫♫ |
| Domaine La Luminaire. Luminaris. Côtes du Rhône Villages. 2021. | 94 | € 14.50 | Excellent Value♫♫ |
| Domaine La Luminaire. Garance. Côtes du Rhône Villages. 2021. | 96 | € 19.00 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine M. Boutin. Rasteau AOP. 2022 | 94 | € 11.50 | Superlative Value ♫♫♫ |
| Domaine des Girasols. L’arbe de Vie. Râsteau AOP. 2019. | 94 | € 16.70 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine des Girasols. Lampereuse. Rasteau AOP. 2018. | 93 | € 17.60 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine Bressy Masson. Râssteau AOP. 2021. | 94 | € 15.00 | Excellent Value♫♫ |
| Domaine Bressy Masson. Le Jas. Râsteau AOP. 2020. | 96+ | € 25.00 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine des Couteaux des Travers. Mondona. Râsteau AOP. 2021. | 93 | € 17.00 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine Gramiller. Les Marcels. Rasteau AOP. 2022. | 93 | € 15.20 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine Font de Notre Dame. La Source. Rasteau AOP. 2022. | 94 | € 11.50 | Superlative Value ♫♫♫ |
| Domaine Fond Croze. Rasteau AOP. 2021. | 92 | € 14.00 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine Caroline Bonnefoy. Rasteau AOC. 2020. | 93 | € 17.50 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine Les Evigneaux. Rasteau AOP. 2020. | 95 | € 14.50 | Excellent Value♫♫ |
| Domaine des Escaravailles. Vin Doux Naturel. Râsteau Blanc. AOP. 2023. | 94 | € 14.00 | Excellent Value♫♫ |
| Domaine des Escaravailles. Vin Doux Naturel. Râsteau Rosé. AOP. 2023. | 94 | € 14.00 | Excellent Value♫♫ |
| Domaine des Escaravailles. Vin Doux Naturel. Râsteau Garnet. AOP. 2022. | 96 | € 14.00 | Superlative Value ♫♫♫ |
| Domaine Grand Nicolet. Vin Doux Naturel. Râsteau AOP. 2004 | 96 | € 18.50 | Good Value♫ |
| Domaine du Trapadis. Vin Doux Naturel. Garnet. Râsteau AOP. 2022. | 95 | € 16.50 | Excellent Value♫♫ |
| Domaine La Soumade. Vin Doux Naturel. Garnet. Râsteau AOP. 2022. | 94 | € 13.00 | Superlative Value ♫♫♫ |
Additional wine notes to those that are included in the Forbes article are below.
Domaine des Escaravailles. La Ponce. Râsteau AOP. 2023. €12.00. 89 – 90 points.
From the family of Madeline Ferran and a 30-hectare estate created 70 years ago with a huge range of 25 wines, of which 25% are white. Blend of 40/40/10/10 Roussanne, Marsanne, Clairette, Grenache Blanc. Aromas of flint, pears and honey. Light and soft flavors. Fruit grown at 1,100 feet (350 meters) elevation brings out freshness. Producers wisely suggest pairing with scallops with lime juice or else a peach clafoutis with rosemary.
Domaine des Escaravailles. La Galopine. Râsteau AOP. 2023. €17.00. 90 points.
Galopine means viognier in old French. This 50/40/10 blend of Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier includes opulent, rich, bulbous, syrupy and generous aromas. Rich and rounded mid palate of white pears with slight minerality. The domaine recommends pairing with veal cutlet with cream sauce and morels. Sounds parfait.
Domaine des Escaravailles. Argilla Ad Argilla. Rasteau AOP. 2021. €17.50. 92 – 93 points.
60/40 Grenache/Syrah blend aged in clay pots. Young aromas of garrigue scrub, sage and black licorice. Soft tannins in this well-balanced wine with flavors of figs mid palate and red plums on the finish.
Domaine Grange Blanche. Tentation. Râsteau AOP. 2021. €9.50 Euros. 89 – 90 points.
A 60/20/20 blend of Grenache/Syrah/Cinsault that ages in concrete. Crinkly, gnarly, sneakily lively crunchy Grenache. An easy drinker with nice acidity and cassis flavors. A summer wine.
Domaine La Luminaire. Garance. Côtes du Rhône Villages. 2021. €19.00. 96 points. [Good Value♫].
Predominantly old vine (80 years) Grenache with Carignan and a little Mourvèdre for structure. Flavors include blueberries and raspberries and red plums with slight mocha on the finish; rounded due to the Grenache. Sleek tannins; bright acidity. There is both eating and drinking in this wine—a supple beauty!
Domaine La Luminaire. Garance. Côtes du Rhône Villages. 2020. 94-95 points.
Aromas of raspberries, plums, mandarins. Light and delicate flavors that include dark plums and some German chocolate cake on the finish. Deft tannins. Owner believes co-fermenation is essential for the softness.
Domaine M.Boutin. MB. Vin de France. 2022. €12.00. 90 points.
This white wine is a 90/10 blend of Grenache Gris and Terret grown over blue marl and limestone clay. Aromas of green grass. Mid palate creamy flavors of green apples and white pears. Sparky acidity and minerality and some lime on the finish. Fresh, drinkable, juicy. 1,200 bottles produced.
Domaine des Girasols. Vielles Vignes. Rasteau AOP. 2019. €20.00. 92+points.
80/20 Grenache/Mourvèdre blend with aromas of orange rind, tar, treacle, hickory. Dark, bold, commanding flavors with slick tongue-tingling acidity. Pair with a well done grilled T-bone steak. Slightly reduced still, but well balanced. A hit of Napa in the Rhone Valley.
Domaine des Escaravailles. Vin Doux Naturel. Râsteau Blanc. AOP. 2023. €14.00. 94 points. [Excellent Value♫♫].
Made from Grenache Blanc old vines. First made by the winemaker when, two decades ago, his wife wanted something special for the holiday season. Brisk and frisky fresh aromas of white pears and honey. Sweet and opulent flavors with an oomph mid palate.
2. Food / Wine Pairings.
Dish.
Magret de canard du Gers farci aux aromates; Petit épeautre de Sault à l’origan
Duck breast from Gers stuffed with herbs
Wine.
Domaine Chamfort. La Planne. AOP Rasteau. 2021.
Dish.
La piece du Boucher, sauve poivre, pomme frites & mesclun.
Butcher’s meat cut, pepper sauce, French fries and mesculin salad.
Wine.
Cave de Rasteau RhonéA. Prestige. 2022.
3. Insights.
In the Rhone Valley wine region, small and lesser known offbeat towns are the way to go when it comes to learning about the wine and people. Table wine is sound and sometimes delicious, and the overall value of wines is excellent. Visit the local wine store (‘syndicat’) that is partially funded by the government and sells wines at cellar prices, which is usually a bargain.
Thanks for joining in. Next—Vinitaly and En Primeurs in Bordeaux.
