Tavel is located in the Southern Rhone region of France. It is the only AOC region in France that produces only Rose wines. Grenache is the base of all the Rose wines in Tavel.
The coloring of the Rose wines from Tavel are either salmon or a deep ruby pink. It is said the some of the worlds most complex and flavorful Rose’s come from Tavel, so let’s find out.
The largest estate in Tavel is Chateau d’Aqueria. It has 244 acres of land of which 161 are planted with vines. What is unique to this large estate is that its holdings are contiguous. Many other estates have their vineyards spread out in different locations. The soil the vines are grown in are hillocks of sand over a chalky clay subsoil and are very well drained has no limestone content.. They have a very long growing season with lots of sun that yields very ripe fruit with a rich concentration of sugar.
The 2015 Rose is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Clairette. The wine had brief contact with the skins to extract color that gives it the rich salmon color.
There is a lot going on in the glass. Aromas of strawberries and red berry fruit fill the air. The palate is very complex. Layers of red fruit, fresh strawberries, red cherry, hint of lime and a little spice on the finish. Personally it did lack a bit of acidity but was a very nice wine.
I sat and sipped on this after a long day. My husband paired it with a cigar.