Family-run Rhône maison with owned estates, partner growers, and wines from Côtes du Rhône to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
The producer
Maison Lavau is a family-run, independent Rhône Valley house founded in Sablet by Jean-Guy and Anne-Marie Lavau after their return from Tunisia. Frédéric and Benoît later took charge, and the operation grew to include owned estates, partner growers and a merger with Château Maucoil in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Its wines span southern Rhône appellations, while Koudiat refers to the family's Tunisian heritage and means hill in Arabic.
Known for
Southern Rhône appellation range
Notable facts
Maison Lavau was created in Sablet in 1965 after Jean-Guy and Anne-Marie Lavau returned from Tunisia.
The house operates three winemaking cellars across 140 hectares of vines.
Maison Lavau maintains partnerships with approximately 350 vinegrowers.
In 2013, Maison Lavau merged with Château Maucoil to create Groupe Maucoil Lavau, co-owned by the Lavau and Bonnet families.
The story
Return From Tunisia
In 1962, after Tunisia regained its independence, Jean-Guy Lavau and his wife Anne-Marie returned to France. They took charge of a small winemaking cellar in Sablet, a cellar Jean Lavau had purchased a few years earlier. In 1965, Maison Lavau was officially created there, deep in the Rhône Valley. The founding episode has a place, a family and a specific change of status: an existing cellar in Sablet became the home of a new maison. Jean-Guy and Anne-Marie's return from Tunisia stands at the beginning of Maison Lavau.
Brothers Take Charge
In 2000, when their parent retired, Benoît and Frédéric Lavau officially took charge of Maison Lavau. The brothers became producers as well as traders. Maison Lavau later purchased Domaine la Décelle in Valréas, Domaine de Carmignan in Bagnols-sur-Cèze and Domaine Les Évigneaux in Rasteau. The succession brought estate ownership into the house's work while trading remained part of the business. The portfolio then carried wines from the family's own estates alongside fruit purchased from partner vinegrowers.
From the atlas
Maison Lavau
A family-run Rhône Valley maison with owned estates, partner growers and wines from southern Rhône appellations.
At A Glance
Field
Detail
Region
Rhône Valley, southern Rhône
Home cellar
Sablet
Vineyards and cellars
140 hectares across three winemaking cellars
Business model
Family-run and independent, with partnerships with approximately 350 vinegrowers
Range
Southern Rhône appellations including Gigondas, Rasteau, Côtes du Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Vacqueyras, Tavel, Valréas and Bagnols-sur-Cèze
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
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
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.
In The Glass
Koudiat Côtes du Rhône 2021 is vivid red, with red cherry, strawberry, pomegranate and roasted herb notes. It is medium-bodied, with fresh acidity and a juicy, crunchy finish.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Koudiat Côtes du Rhône 2021 first. It is a Côtes du Rhône red carrying the Koudiat name, which refers to the Lavau family's Tunisian heritage and means hill in Arabic. Lavau Gigondas and Domaine Les Evigneaux Rasteau carry named appellations, giving the range a second step after its regional Rhône wine.
Final Word
Maison Lavau combines family ownership, owned Rhône estates and negociant partnerships with bottles from southern Rhône appellations. Its range also includes Méditerranée rosé and VdP d'Oc Pinot Noir.