Why it matters
The producer
Jean-Guy Lavau and Anne-Marie returned from Tunisia and took charge of a small winemaking cellar in Sablet. Maison Lavau was officially created there in 1965. When their parent retired, Frédéric and Benoît Lavau took charge in 2000 and became producers as well as traders.
The house combines its own estates with fruit from partner vinegrowers. In 2013, it merged with Château Maucoil in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, creating Groupe Maucoil Lavau, co-owned by the Lavau and Bonnet families. Maison Lavau is one of the last family-run and independent wine estates in the Rhône Valley. Its philosophy centers on sharing, pleasure and simplicity, with wines intended to be fine, generous and affordable.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Maison Lavau's three owned estates sit in Valréas, Bagnols-sur-Cèze and Rasteau. The wider southern Rhône range includes Gigondas, Côtes du Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vacqueyras and Tavel, as well as Valréas and Bagnols-sur-Cèze.
An appellation name places a wine within a defined area and its production rules, so the label identifies the regional category carried by the bottle before the first sip.
Wines to know
The range in view
Maison Lavau's Rhône bottles include Lavau Gigondas 2019, a red Gigondas, Domaine Les Evigneaux Rasteau 2019, a red Rasteau, and Koudiat Côtes du Rhône 2021, a red Côtes du Rhône. The portfolio also includes LivAzur Rosé 2024, a rosé from the Méditerranée region, and Suzanne Mège Pinot Noir Maison Lavau, a red VdP d'Oc.
Red and rosé wines sit across southern Rhône, Méditerranée and VdP d'Oc designations. No grape composition is confirmed for the Gigondas or Koudiat wines.