Winemaker Notes
#93 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2023
The color is deep and dark. The nose is intense and complex with jammy notes of plum and fig. The palate is silky yet full-bodied with delicate red fruit mingling with intense and powerful flavors of candied black fruit with a hint of laurel, developing spicy and peppery notes on a wonderful lingering finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
A step up over the 2021, the 2020 Gigondas Le Pas De L'Aigle is another pretty, elegant wine with tons of character. Darker raspberries, savory Provençal herbs, sandalwood, and subtle peppery notes all emerge on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a layered, seamless mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and a great finish.
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James Suckling
Aromas of blackberries, dark cherries, dried herbs such as thyme and rosemary, dark chocolate and baking spices. Full body with very fine tannins. Great balance with a velvety texture loaded with cherries and berries, and a harmonious, integrated structure. Textured, long and focused finish. Best after 2027.
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Wine Spectator
A wine with a lot of soul and character, this leans slightly modern, with charred apple wood and sweet cedar nicely polishing a core of fig puree and black cherry. The long, harmonious finish glides through, revealing rooibos tea and smoked garrigue details, while a tug of tannins provide a ballast. Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2035.
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.