Rolling Stones Impact Rhône Valley Rasteau Wines

Rasteau is located between the Vinsobres and Vacqueyras wine regions of the southern Rhone Valley of France. It is the name of a wine appellation, as well as a wine region and a town. During a recent visit I spoke with weathered and brutally honest winemakers who revealed how physical parameters—stones, wind, clay, diversity—differentiate their wines and lifestyle. [A companion article provides notes on Rasteau wines.]

Rasteau

The word Rasteau derives from rateau, meaning ‘rake’ because local hill and valley topography resemble rake tines trending southeast toward to the Ouvèze River. The locale is bounded further west by the Aigues River. Vineyards generally face southward to gain sunshine, but quixotic topography provides variance in exposure. Three parameters that impact grape growth are soil type, elevation and slope orientation.

The village of Rasteau is slightly sloping with tight narrow streets that bifurcate like branches on a tree and you get the sense that there has been little rush here since the last World War. If you go for coffee at 2:00 pm at the Café 2 Gaby in the central square, a sign reveals that it is closed until 4:00 pm (after all, they served coffee to farmers at 6:00 in the morning—did you not know?). According to state statistics, Rasteau’s population of some 800 residents has shifted to include more retirees in the past decade; almost 99% of residences are classified as ‘not overcrowded’ and almost 90% of those aged 25 to 54 years are actively employed—reflecting both the local uncrowded rural space and a hardy local work ethic.

The Rasteau wine region includes slightly less than 2,500 acres [1,000 hectares] of vines from which 60 producers and three cooperatives make Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) designated red wines. This AOC Cru de Côtes du Rhone appellation was designated in 2010. Grenache is the principal grape in Rasteau and blends and must include 50% of its juice, with Syrah and Mourvèdre collectively needing to comprise 20% of the blend. Accessory grapes may include, but are not limited to some grapes you likely never heard of before: Bourboulenc, Carignan, Clairette, Counoise, Marsanne, Muscardin, Roussanne, Ugni Blanc and Viognier.

This region of Rasteau is sort of a timeless open land where neighbors appear bound by agriculture and family and where you see ample blistered hands from toil and labor in a locale that appears to lack inclination toward excessive frivolity. A weekend walk on a dry afternoon reveals much: harmless dogs barking, trucks barreling along narrow, rocky or muddy rutted roads through a profusion of spring flowers. Already in April the broiling sunlight may burn your scalp. You question whether the route you chose is a road, or maybe a goat trail?

Rhone Valley

The Rhone Valley, in which Rasteau is located, is named after the river flowing through it. This originates in Switzerland (not far from the source of the Rhine River, incidentally) and flows generally west and south, including via Lake Geneva, until it gushes into the Mediterranean Sea.

Wines along this valley were introduced by Greeks some six centuries before the Christian Era began. They were refined and stored by Romans from the first to the fifth century until invaders bludgeoned the notion of refinement and looted what was stored. Winemakers were jolted with incentive to amp up productivity in the 14^th century, after popes moved to the city of Avignon and economic growth boosted the wine trade.

Stones

Today, Rhone wines are generally 75% red, 14% rosé and 11% white. Underlying soils are largely granite and limestone, while clays are abundant as well as large and rounded pebbles known locally as rolled stones, or galets roulés—found mostly in the southern Rhone. These stones were created and shaped by moving glaciers and flowing rivers.

The stones in Rasteau may no longer roll, but for stretches of geological time these rocks were knocked and pummeled and evolved into spheroid shapes while a glacier lethargically plowed down the Rhone Valley through central/southern France. These rocks now coat many vineyard soils within the valley—reflecting sunlight upward to vines and grapes during days, and at night reradiating heat they accumulated during sunny hours. They are one of several physical factors that provide Rasteau appellation wines with signature fresh and supple flavors.

Julien Larum lived and worked in the Napa Valley wine region of California for nine years. His American father—who married a French woman—once worked in the U.S. for the renowned wine producer Robert Mondavi. Julien’s grandparents purchased Rasteau vines fifty years ago.

As we paced over hilly land together he spoke about these large white pebbles—some twice the diameter of a large fist—that intersperse vines. High ambient temperatures can raise alcohol levels in wine, and because the climate’s current cyclical trend is toward warming, adding heat may not be desirable.

“Big rocks used to be an advantage when wines were not as alcoholic,” he said. “Nowadays they can be a disadvantage because some wines are high in alcohol. But we can also plant cover crops [between vine rows] to help address this.” He explained how these rocks can also contribute to drying out vines—reducing diseases—but they can also make working the soil more difficult because, “they tear plows and machinery.”

Wind

The north to south blowing ‘mistral’ wind constantly swats vineyards across the Rhone valley. Caused by a pressure difference between what is named the Azores High in the north Atlantic and the Genoa Depression in the Mediterranean, this wind’s intensity gradually increases as you move south. Its frequent blowing not only bends trees but can induce anxiety because wind knocks electrons off neutral molecules, converting them to positive ions—which negatively impact mental health.

Frédéric Lavau of Maison Lavau (whose ancestors made wine in the Saint-Émilion region of Bordeaux in the late 1700’s) told how this prevalent wine can impact vintages for better or worse. “The mistral is the best way to fight mildew. But a dry summer mistral will also make conditions even drier,” he explained.

Karine Biscarrat of Domaine Grange Blanche agreed. “The most important sanitary product we have here is wind. It reduces treatments we give to vines.”

Winemaker Julien Larum also described the wind. “During harvest, it cools you down. But the mistral is tough in winter. You can’t get warm.”

Julie Paolucci, owner of Domaine de La Luminaille (named after an old Provencal language word for light) explained that the mistral, combined with sunlight and hot temperatures, helps keep her vines dry—thereby reducing the problem of mildew. She treats her vines from three to five times a year and knows of Bordeaux winemakers who do so two to three times as much annually.

Clay

Abundant clay types underlie Rasteau vineyards. Locals refer to these as bien de mélange—well mixed. Winemakers spoke about their supposed impacts. Red clay is said to provide wines with spicy characteristics; blue and gray clays are associated with lower acidity, while yellow clay is said to provide wines with young fruit flavors. But the most important characteristic of clays for vines is that they retain water.

“Yellow and blue clay help retain water in roots, and freshness in wines,” Paolucci emphasized.

Grape Diversity

Paul Emile Masson of Domaine Bressy-Masson highlighted specific sensory inputs associated with distinct grape varieties. “Grenache gives a fruity flavor; Mourvèdre gives structure; Syrah gives color and perfume.” (He admitted that he and his partner Laurent Brechet both favor Grenache.)

In addition to upping flavor profiles available for wine, there are other reasons to grow multiple grape types. It is a biological tenet that specialization increases an organism’s susceptibility to damage, while diversity increases resilience to pressures. Frédéric Lavau praised devotion of local winemakers to thriving on grape diversity.

“Northern Rhone includes a lot of Syrah and Viognier,” he explained. “But in the southern Rhone everything is about variety of varietals. More and more vintners are going back to diversity now: in training vines, in styles of wine, in grape varieties. I believe more diversity gives more personality to wines. It can also help avoid issues from moody grapes such as Grenache and Mourvèdre. The more varieties you have, the less you are exposed to problems.”

Biodiversity

Rasteau winemakers spoke of how they appreciate biodiversity—having ample species thriving around vineyards. Julie Paolucci adapted to climate modifications—longer dry seasons and less rain—by trimming fewer leaves that cover vines in order to protect grapes from sunlight; she also plants cover crops between vine rows to maintain humidity, as well as to aerate soils and provide natural compost.

Paolucci also explained that proximity of vines to the communal forest of Rasteau results in an abundance of birds which feed on, hence reduce, the number of potentially harmful insects (grapevine moths, for example).

Freshness

Within Rasteau subtleties abound regarding viticultural know-how. Time and experience are unforgettable instructors and winemakers gleefully share inputs from their own life lessons: Syrah vines prefer low iron soils; Carignan is more acidic than Grenache; old vines provide more acidic and less alcoholic wines; large and low alcohol Cinsault grapes are ideal for rosé.

A common theme voiced by winemakers is their contemporary desire to produce wines ready to drink now. The words ‘fresh’ and ‘drinkability’ appear ubiquitous. The keys to attain this?

Thierry Caymaris-Moulin, enologist for Cave de Rasteau, explained how locals make wines more immediately accessible. “Winemakers work with maceration to provide a soft expression, with less alcohol and more acidity.”

Frédéric Lavau also highlighted attractions of these characteristics.

“Most customers drink a bottle within thirty-six hours of purchase. Wine must be good to drink now. The style of Rasteau has been changing during the last 15 years. Winemakers now take into consideration that drinkability is very important. When I think about drinkability, I think about acidity.”

Vasco Perdigao of Domaine Chamfort explained how local terroir is conducive to freshness.

“You have good orientation to the sun here, and also rivers and moisture. I think Rasteau is king of the sun, but we also have altitude and clay for freshness. So the acidity is high,” he said.

Sweet Wines

Rasteau has historically been known for its natural sweet wine, or Vin Doux Naturel (VDN), which was accorded AOC status in 1944—making this year the 60th year anniversary of this unique juice. It is produced from old vine Grenache grapes where wine fermentation is halted by adding alcohol. This results in residual sugar that provides sweetness. VDN comes in five colors: garnet, white, rosé, amber and tuilé (think the color of roof tiles from movies about Provence) and can range from between 15% and 21.5% alcohol, although 16% to 17% is typical. Today, of almost 3,000 acres (1,200 hectares) of vine land planted in Rasteau, only 100 acres (40 hectares), or 3% of the land, is dedicated for producing grapes to make VDN.

Winemaker Paul Emile explained a current movement toward the past: “Rasteau was very well known for sweet wines, and is starting again to be famous for these.”

Challenges & Rewards

Those who produce wine cannot predict future consumer trends. Frédéric Lavau has spent his life working with wine, but laments the unpredictability of purchasing patterns. “It is becoming difficult to know what wines people want; very difficult to find competitive advantage.”

Working within Rasteau is not easy—physically or economically—and locals appreciate not only their neighbors but their landscape. Take a hike in Rasteau and look at huge vistas of crenellated peaks across valleys and a mish-mash of vineyards at odd organic angles as you sniff the perfume of thyme and garrigue vegetation. You will pass gorse and holly and gnarled, twisted old vines and eye lovely expansive vistas and see massive river rounded rocks between vine rows. You will hear a symphony of raging birdsong in a countryside where conviviality appears critical for residents of small stone brown villages. As you pace along an inclined descent you may feel the whoosh and power of an incessantly wailing mistral wind at the same time you feel the joy of springtime in southern France. Later, when visiting a domaine, you may notice how locals light up when visitors enjoy their wines. Then, it’s time for a magnificent lunch with fresh fare and an uncorked bottle.

Lavau summarized the infectious local optimism as the current season moves away from winter. “In spring we start eating asparagus and strawberries. The season for butternut squash and cauliflower is over,” he said while toasting, proudly, a raised glass of delicious Rasteau red.

[A companion article with Rasteau wine notes/scores/prices/value evaluation is here.]