Tavel domaine producing the reference rose of the appellation, the Dame Rousse, alongside Lirac red and white and a Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Signature wines: mordoree-dame-rousse-tavel, mordoree-reine-des-bois-lirac-rouge
Tip: La Dame Rousse is the reference Tavel rose; structured enough to age 3-5 years.
Address: 250 Chemin des Oliviers, 30126 Tavel, France, Rhone Valley
Historic Gigondas estate with old-vine parcels across the Dentelles de Montmirail producing structured, spice-laden reds.
Tasting: Tasting room open at the domaine in Gigondas
Signature wines: santa-duc-gigondas-classique, santa-duc-gigondas-prestige
Tip: Aux Relagnes is the classic Gigondas cuvee; Hautes Garrigues is the prestige single-vineyard bottling.
One of Gigondas's most respected traditional estates, producing Grenache-dominant reds from old vines on clay-limestone slopes.
Tasting: Tasting room at the domaine; open weekdays
Signature wines: raspail-ay-gigondas
Gigondas estate with recorded winemaking history to the 15th century, run by Louis Barruol as both domaine and Southern Rhone negociant.
Tasting: Tasting room open at the chateau; appointment recommended
Signature wines: saint-cosme-gigondas, saint-cosme-le-claux
Tip: The estate occupies the hillside above the village with Roman-era cellars carved from the rock.
Rasteau family domaine producing both the dry appellation red and the traditional Rasteau vin doux naturel (VDN), one of the few maintaining this fortified wine tradition.
Tasting: Tasting room open at the domaine in Rasteau
Signature wines: soumade-rasteau-confiance, soumade-rasteau-vdn
Tip: The Rasteau VDN is a fortified Grenache in Rancio style; a disappearing tradition well worth seeking out.
The cult producer of Rasteau, deliberately declassifying wines to IGP Vaucluse, farming rare old vine field blends including obscure varieties like Camarese for extraordinary complexity.
Tasting: By appointment at the domaine
Signature wines: gourt-de-mautens-igp
Tip: Production is tiny; wines are sought by collectors globally. One of the great value-to-quality stories in the Southern Rhone.
Cairanne and Gigondas producer with a large portfolio, a reference estate for the newly elevated Cairanne AOC.
Tasting: Open tasting room at the domaine in Cairanne
Signature wines: brusset-cairanne
