Winemaker Notes
Domaine Raspail-Ay produces classic Gigondas wines. Full-bodied, fruity, fine and well-balanced. Aromas of red fruits – raspberries and black cherries – with notes of black pepper, lead to more complex scents of licorice and herbs de Provence. Tannins are ripe, the wine fills the mouth with warm, generous flavors yet with an underlying structure that bodes well for future potential.
Blend: 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Gigondas offers kirsch, Provençal spice, Provençal olives, leather, and loamy earth. Based on 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre and raised in traditional old oak foudres with the Syrah in barrels and demi-muids, it's medium to full-bodied, has the sunny, perfumed, complex style of the vintage, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's beautifully textured and just a gem of a Gigondas that readers should buy a case of to drink over the coming two decades. Drink 2026-2046.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Gigondas from Domaine Raspail-Ay exhales a deep, complex bouquet of ripe cherries, flowers, dark wild berries and peonies mingled with gentle, oaky notes. Medium to full-bodied, dense and concentrated, it has a fleshy core of fruit framed by structured tannins and a long, delicately peppery finish. This outstanding, quite mineral Gigondas comprises 70% Grenache Noir, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre. The Grenache and Mourvèdre matured in foudres, while the Syrah saw time in used barrels and large barrels.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Decanter
There’s a reductive note on opening, which becomes meaty with air – decanting advised here. It’s fresh and taut on the palate, with a lot of tannin, so give this time. It has velvety red fruits, very classically Gigondas in terms of fruit character, and a long finish with a saline note. It’s very tannic, but should soften after a few years. The average age of the vines is 55 years. The Grenache was matured in old oak foudres; the Syrah in barriques and demi-muids.
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Wine Enthusiast
There's a quiet elegance to this wine, where a subtle reductive veil gracefully lifts to reveal a vibrant core of pure red berries, savory umami, and a delicate thread of lavender and violet. It's finely tuned, offering balance and a sense of place without exaggeration. Beautifully drinkable now, yet structured enough to evolve with grace through 2030+.
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.