"A classic blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre it has a deep, rich, porgy nose with a dense, weighty palate of dark, gamey fruit."
'The superstar of Rasteau is André Roméro who produces five Cuvées of drop-dead delicious red wine.' Robert Parker
André Roméro is one of the most characterful and talented growers of his generation. The yields here are low - around 40 hl/ha for his Côtes du Rhône, 35 for the Villages and much less for his super cuvees.
The grape mix is mainly Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, the proportions varying a little with each vintage. The grapes receive a cold maceration of around 4 days followed by a cuvaison of some 20 to 30 days depending on the Cuvée at a temperature of 32°, coupled with a system of Burgundian pigeage inspired by Clos des Lambrays in Morey-Saint-Denis.
The wine is then matured in cement tanks for one year before spending 6 months in a variety of oak: foudres, demi-muids and barriques.
The wines are fined with egg whites but receive no filtration. He does not appreciate white wine so his Viognier and Roussanne are blended in with Syrah, for Les Violettes (as in Côte Rôtie).
André has built himself a new house or rather a large new cellar on top of which he lives! Everything is now temperature controlled and he is able to bottle all of a vintage when he wants and in one go. His first vintage in the new winery was 2002.
