The story of the Lavau family, with its passion for wine and its love of the terroir and the land, began in Saint-Émilion in the 19th century. René Lavau and his son continued their love for winemaking on the other side of the Mediterranean sea, in Tunisia. Jean-Guy Lavau (René’s grandson) and his wife Anne-Marie returned to France in the 1960s and took charge of a small winemaking cellar in Sablet at the heart of the Rhone Valley. This would become the Maison LAVAU in 1965.

Frédéric and Benoît Lavau, children to Jean-Guy, officially took over the family business in 2000. Their energy and adventurous spirit drove them to take strategic decisions which would allow them to structure and develop the Maison. They made big changes: building a new cellar in Violès, investing in modern, high-performance cellar facilities, creating the Lavau brand, and entering export markets.

Today, the Maison Lavau is one of the last family-run and independent wine estates in the Rhone Valley, run by Frédéric, Benoît, Bénédicte and Charles. With its three winemaking cellars and 180 hectares of vines, it has made its name as a major winemaker, trader and producer in Rhone wines. Maison Lavau continues to be a family-run estate, encapsulating the philosophy; to produce top quality wines, promote and reflect the diversity of the Rhone Valley by representing the most emblematic and prestigious appellations of this region.