The century's last promotion
Vacqueyras extends across two Vaucluse communes south of Gigondas, between the Dentelles de Montmirail and the Ouvèze plain. Long sold under the Côtes du Rhône Villages label, it obtained cru status in 1990.
It produces all three colours, but red accounts for the overwhelming majority of the harvest.
Pebble terraces and safre sands
The terroir consists of stony terraces deposited by the Ouvèze, mixed with safres, the molasse sands also found at Châteauneuf. Pebbles store heat, while safres provide finesse and drainage.
Altitude remains moderate, between one hundred and around four hundred metres: the wines ripen faster and more fully than at Gigondas, whose vineyards climb higher into the Dentelles, hence a sunnier, less taut profile.
Southern generosity
Vacqueyras is a warm red, with black cherry, garrigue, liquorice and sweet spices. Its tannins are ripe, its palate broad, and it opens sooner than its neighbour: four to eight years often suffice.
It is a wine for Mediterranean food — lamb, slow-cooked beef and sheep's cheeses — served around 16–17°C. The rare whites draw on Clairette and Grenache blanc.
The grape varieties of Vacqueyras
Vacqueyras wines on 1001caves
Detailed pages: the cuvée, the estate, the drinking window and the bottles for sale between collectors.
