Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Looking at the classic cuvee, the 2015 Gigondas is a wine that readers should buy by the case. A blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and the balance Mourvèdre and Cinsault, it offers up gorgeous notes of black raspberry, fruit tart, spice and incense in a medium to full-bodied, ultra pure, seamless style that just begs to be drunk. It will keep for over a decade.
Range: 92-94 -
Wine Spectator
This drips with lush raspberry and boysenberry coulis flavors, inlaid with anise, black tea and violet accents. The long finish is silky and very persistent, with a light chalky thread for contrast. Drink now through 2030.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the 2015s, the classic 2015 Gigondas offers a charming, elegant, yet nicely textured personality to go with lots of black raspberries, spice, incense and dried flower aromas and flavors. It’s a beautiful, classic Gigondas that has sweet tannin and a decade or more of prime drinking. The blend is 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 7% Mourvèdre and the balance Cinsault, mostly destemmed and aged in a mix of foudre, barrels, and tank.
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.