Ripe, rich and ready Rasteau!

Here we present the deliciously ripe, structured and age-worthy 2015 Rasteau “Cuvée Marc” from Domaine Les Grands Bois. We recently delved into a bottle of this stunning wine and were more than impressed with just how well it was showing. At 10 years old the 2015 Cuvée Marc is in fine fettle, offering the kind of richness, balance and maturity that you might expect from a Châteauneuf-du-Pape at twice the price or more. This is Rasteau at its most compelling: proof that great terroir, thoughtful winemaking and patience can yield a wine of genuine stature and complexity, without the need for the marquee name or the marquee price.

2015 Domaine Les Grands Bois Rasteau “Cuvée Marc”

From a classic southern Rhône blend of 50% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre and 25% Syrah, the wine is fermented in cement tanks, before spending 11 months ageing in second fill 600l demi-muids oak barrels. The result is a deliciously dark, intense wine with aromas of black cherries, wooded spice, rounded lactic notes and hints of floral jasmine. The palate is equally impressive and expressive, showing luscious and generous flavours of dark cherry, blackberry and raspberry, alongside charred notes of smoked meats, ground coffee and vanilla. The balance of the wine is beautifully judged, with rounded, velvety smooth tannins that still manage to grip on the finish, and mouth-wateringly fresh acidity that will have you longing for your second glass before the first is even done. Robust, characterful, balanced and pure, the 2015 Domaine Les Grands Bois Rasteau “Cuvée Marc” is everything you’d want in a southern Rhône red at an absolute snip!

Domaine les Grands Bois

Established in 1929 in the tiny village of Sainte-Cécile les Vignes and now run by fourth generation Mireille Besnardeau, her husband Marc, and their daughter Philippine, the domaine covers 47 hectares of vines across the Côtes-du-Rhône, Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages, Cairanne and Rasteau appellations, all farmed organically since 2011. Old vines, minimal intervention, no fining or filtration, and élevage in large one-year-old demi-muids oak barrels give their wines incredible purity and authenticity without ever sacrificing generosity. Having formerly worked as a Sommelier at some of the best restaurants in Paris, Marc Besnardeau makes wines that are a Sommelier’s and customer’s dream alike, ripe and robust wines that don’t lack for character, but remain elegant, refreshing and perfumed. You’d be seriously hard-pressed to find a clearer, more pure expression of the Southern Rhône at anywhere close to the price.

Indeed, everything I’d read and heard about this wonderful family-run domaine and the masterful winemaking skill of Marc Besnardeau at its helm, is encapsulated in this deeply layered and intuitively balanced wine.  This is an absolute tour de force, combining the depth and complexity that come with age with a wonderful purity and balance.