Tasted in Saint-Lager with Séverine Rizzo, 23 February 2020 – pictured above also with Charline Bresse (right).
Château des Ravatys
37 Ravatys
69220 Saint-Lager
Tel: +33 4 74 66 80 35
www.chateaudesravatys.com
More reports for Château des Ravatys
You may remember last year that the Institute Pasteur decided to divest themselves of the Château Ravatys. I had missed the announcement of a purchaser, but on my visit I was introduced to Charline Bresse of Lavorel Hotels who had bought the operation. Although not present today, Axel Joubert remains responsible for making the wines here.
Séverine Rizzo on 2019/2020:
“2019 – it was a good vintage for volume but because of that we don’t have a large colour, despite harvesting quite late. 2020 – we had a smaller volume and we had a lot more sugar and concentration – it’s both fruity and concentrated.”
The wines…
A domaine that sometimes makes wines as good as Thivin, but not quite in 2019 – still, tasty wines and a domaine with untapped potential…
Not all was bottled:
2019 Brouilly Le Marquisat
This, from the 2-hectare parcel opposite the château grounds. Not a long cuvaison – maybe 8 days in the cement tanks – whole clusters. Was bottled at the end of March
Medium colour. The nose is a little compact starting, but slowly adding some graphite mineral interest. Round in the mouth, nicely concentrated, a faint base of tannin – ripe and not drying. Layered and long finishing – that’s a fine finish – a charming wine with no overt lack of depth.
2019 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Mathilde Courbe
Also only a medium colour. A much more open nose – perfumed and floral – that’s a lovely invitation. Mouth-filling – I like the energy and the growing, mouth-watering style to the flavour. More mineral and wide in the finish – a slight grain of tannin at the end this is a lovely wine – not quite to the standard of the 2017 but more interesting than the 18, I think – yum!
There’s no 2019 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Louis Pasteur and the ‘reserve’ was still in elevage, so we tasted 2018 which had only recently been bottled:
2018 Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Louis Pasteur
A parcel selection but with a longer elevage, assembling both foudre and barrel parts. Some modest destemming in some parts. Barrels averaging about 5-years-old.
Ooh – that’s really inviting. A depth of darker red fruit, slowly adding a floral accent – that’s very inviting. Mouth-filling, good freshness, fine texture. The finish is a little smaller than the 2 19s, but the wine in total is really excellent.
2018 Côte de Brouilly Réserve
A more strict and small parcel selection. The wine with 100% barrel elevage and longer elevage
Like the cuvée Pasteur a little darker colour. A broad nose, fruit and a spiced accent from the barrels. Very fine texture, the tannin showing a little more but not really drying. Nice complexity of finishing flavour here – this is for keeping 2-3 years before opening your case, for now, take the non-oaked purity of the ‘Pasteur.’