Our Growers:

Southern Rhône reds are too alcoholic and tiring for drinking during the hot southern summer, and southern whites are unable to stand up to the strength of many Provençal dishes. Whence rosé, which even today is often a better match for salmon or lamb or Bouillabaisse than either red or white. A serious rosé, like Tavel Rosé, has a serious place at the table.

André Méjan's and his son-in-law Franck POPEK's excellent Tavel will show itself best if it is given at least 45 minutes aeration. Then, aromas of peaches-to-apricots, rose and a characteristic "nuttiness" emerge: I call this the "salmon" style of TAVEL, because of its color, which distinguishes it from TAVELS marked by deeper red tints and more overt red fruit on the nose, and because it fairly cries out for a grilled salmon steak! The wine is firm and very long. It can be cellared: indeed, many of Tavel's greatest partisans think it is ideally drunk at about 3 years of age. With age, the "nutty" or "meaty" aromas increase; it is dry, rich and complexly flavored. This is a spicy, fruity wine with aromas reminiscent of hot, sunbaked hillsides.

The complexity of these wines comes from the complexity of their vineyard sites or terroirs, their

encépagement (palette of grape varieties), and their vinification. Méjan disposes of all three of the classic terroirs of Tavel in his small 4 hectare vineyard: sandy soil to the east-southeast of the village for fine, elegant aromatics and flavors; to the north, a "Châteauneuf-du-Pape" type plateau covered with rounded quartzite cobblestones over red clay/sand for strength and fullness; and sharply jagged, bright-white limestone rock over clay-limestone soil to the south-southwest for aromatic finesse, bright, "cool" character. Some growers think that a complete, balanced TAVEL requires all three terroirs.

The domaine looks after its vineyard with meticulous attention. For more than 10 years, they have eliminated all use of herbicides and weedkillers. Pesticides are administered parsimoniously to respect the natural setting and only if necessary. The principal ally of the domaine is the Mistral which permits a clean vineyard, exempt from maladies. The domaine harvests the grapes by hand; the entire vinification process is semi-artisanale: the only concession to modernism is the use of cold temperatures for fermentation. The grapes are harvested whole and vinified in their own natural yeasts, without any chemical yeasts. Fining is done only if necessary and after the fermentation to minimize its impact on the quality of the final product.

The domaine uses 10 different grape varieties in their Tavel Rosé: approximately 60% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 5% Syrah (all red grape varieties) + 20% mixed between: Carnignan (red), Mourvèdre (red), and, in varying amounts, some very small, Picpoul (white), Clairette (white and rose), Bouboulenc (white), Grenache Blanc (white)

Finally, in vinifiying a Tavel, the grapes are not pressed immediately. Rather, the must is allowed to macerate on the skins for anywhere from 24 to 72 hours before being drawn off. Additionally, the solids which remain are then pressed ,but the press is much lighter than would be the case for a red wine to conserve finesse. This press wine is also incorporated into the finished wine. All other rosés, almost without exception, are made either from directly pressed juice that is not allowed to rest on the skins or only from free-run juice taken off the skins after a short maceration. Press wine is never blended back into the wine. Whence the power, complexity and, for Rosé, the longevity of Tavels like Méjan's.