Winemaker Notes
Les Roches is the last piece of the Domain, released for the first time at the insistence of all those who tasted it on barrel. Massale of old Syrah, planted on an ultra-late area: a north façade, in full wind, and in the shadow of the Hill. Vinified in half-muids opened in a scraped harvest, then aged pure in 228L barrels of 1 and 2 wines for 18 months. It is the sovereign freshness, coupled with a vibratory mineral tension, and a floral of mad elegance.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Breathless notes of lilac and cassis perfume this pure-fruited, old-vine Syrah sourced from a late-ripening, shaded plot in Gigondas. Flavors of blueberry and blackberry are ripe and concentrated but also precise and chiseled, incised by cut stone and salt. Editors’ Choice
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Inky in hue, the 2019 Gigondas Roche (a new bottling, from yields of 10–12 hectoliters per hectare) is Syrah from the same vineyard parcel as Le Plateau. Violets and Campari accent blueberries on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is dense, concentrated and velvety. The long, richly tannic finish adds savory hints of black olives, licorice and espresso. Give this a few years to resolve some of the tannin and drink it over the following decade or so.
Range: 93-95 -
Decanter
Opaque in colour. Soaring fragrance, a touch of cardamom and coriander seed ground into the black fruit alongside dark chocolate and black olive too. Full-bodied, powerful and dense, shot through with thick, ripe tannins. Very high alcohol though, which is noticeable if you look for it. This is a massive, very polished wine that's almost too much, but hard to resist. The big fruit is matched with big oak. 100% Syrah grown on marl and limestone at 250m altitude. Destemmed and fermented in open-top demi-muids, then spends 12 months in recently-used barriques.
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Wine Spectator
This is distinctive, offering a rush of violet, crushed plum, açai berry and white pepper notes that hold sway throughout, while subtle leather and chalk threads underscore the finish. There's a tarry backdrop throughout and a long, palate-staining, grippy finish. Syrah. Best from 2023.
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Jeb Dunnuck
All Syrah that was destemmed and aged in smaller barrels, the 2019 Gigondas Roche offers up a big, rich, meaty bouquet of dark berry fruits, iron, vanilla, and smoked meats, as well as some bay leaf and bouquet garni-like notes with time in the glass. It’s a ripe, blockbuster styled effort to drink over the coming 10-15 years. Best after 2022.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
The Southern Rhône region of Gigondas extends northwest from the notably jagged wall of mountains called the Dentelles di Montmirail, whose highest point climbs to about 2,600 feet. The region and its wines have much in common with the neighboring Chateauneuf-du-Pape except that the vineyards of Gigondas exist at higher elevation and its soils, comprised mainly of crumbled limestone from the Dentelles, often produce a more dense and robust Grenache-based red wine.
The region has a history of fine winemaking, extending back to Roman times. But by the 20th century, Gigondas was merely lumped into the less distinct zone of Côtes du Rhône Villages. However, it was first among these satellite villages to earn its own appellation, which occurred in 1971.
Gigondas reds must be between 50 to 100% Grenache with Syrah and Mourvèdre comprising the bulk of the remainder of the blend. They tend express rustic flavors and aromas of wild blackberry, raspberry, fig, plum, as well as juniper, dried herbs, anise, smoke and river rock. The best are bold but balanced, and finish with impressively sexy and velvety tannins.
The Gigondas appellation also produces rosé but no white wines.