Gigondas, the powerhouse of the southern-Rhone, is all about that “garrigue” smell, yet for many, it is still a forgotten wine.
Located just north-east of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas was known for its power and brawn. Garrigue is the French way of describing that wild herb garden, Provencal brush aromas that dominate the wines of Gigondas and Provence.
In the early 1970s Gigondas began a revival, achieving AOC status in France, elevating the wines from Cotes-du-Rhone designation to their own: Gigondas. The 70s and 80s continued the dark, heady and powerful wines that began to give way in the 90s to a new generation of vignerons and producers that worked on adding refinement and purity of fruit to rustic powerhouse reds. Robert Parker and James Molesworth through their coverage of the region over the years have marked this slow transition and shift that have occurred. The late 90s and early 2000s brought about some bombastic wines that were loaded with silky tannins and deep dense supple textures, garnering 100-point praise. More producers joined the mix and today we are seeing some of the finest and most compelling wines of Gigondas that rival the best of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Gigondas is all about the Grenache, where the vineyards by law must be planted with a minimum of 50% Grenache and the bottled wines must contain a minimum of 50% Grenache. However, here we see Grenache in a region planted across a mix of soils and sites as if it were a giant circular jelly mold that the vines are planted along all the different sides. This results in very warm to cool sites, sites dominated by clay and sand much like Chateauneuf to sites that have streaks of limestone racing throughout the vineyards. It is this limestone that producers have sought out in the more recent years, adapting their plantings to harness the freshness and energy that limestone brings to the wines.
A handful of properties have led the way for the region, adopting modern techniques and creating single-vineyard expressions of Gigondas to highlight the vast different terroirs this tiny region has. Three domaines in particular are Domaine Brusset, Domaine des Bosquets and Chateau de Saint Cosme.
Domaine Brusset is a unique property whose vineyard holdings are almost entirely due south facing, capturing the days heat and sunlight full on, all day long. The wines are destemmed and aged in moderate to sparing amounts of new oak as the grapes themselves are rich, dark, and tannic due to the vineyards. Yet, the wines possess finesse and lift, with supple textures and density that are alluring young.
Domaine des Bosquets is at the heart of Gigondas. The domaine and their primary vineyard is located on the historic vineyard of the village of Gigondas, simply named Gigondas, that dates back to the 14th century. Here the soils are based on more sand and blue marl. Bosquets today joins Brusset in the rare camp of destemming their fruit. Leading Rhone consultant Philippe Cambie, whose roster of 100-point Chateauneuf clients is dizzying, assists Julien Brechet in producing some of the most refined and textural wines of the region whose savory character thrives in the aromatics and palate of the wines.
Chateau de Saint Cosme is by most accounts the leader of the pack in Gigondas. Louis Barruol has worked tirelessly to continue his father’s work of rebuilding the vineyards of Saint Cosme as well as the entire appellation, serving as President of local grower syndicate and by advocating the preservation of the regional clones of Grenache. It was St-Cosme that garnered the attention of the wine world with their single vineyard Gigondas from vineyard sites dating back to the 12th century. Here the grapes are traditionally co-fermented with whole bunches in cement vats, yet the wines are fresh, seductive, refined and above all age-worthy.
Whichever you pick, or a combination of any of these, you will not be disappointed. All three represented some of the finest wines you can find from Gigondas, hands down.
Cheers,
Jeremy
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