WTN: A Little Giggie Giggie

Created in 1971, the AOC of Gigondas produces a typical encepagement of Grenache with varying amounts of syrah and Mourvedre, and the wine range from decent to really excellent. I wanted to do a survey tasting of these wines and arranged a dinner at a sutable restaurant, and a line up of wines that included a nice range of Gigondas.

2005 Arnoux & Fils Vieux Clocher – a producer I do not know, but the old clock tower turned out well. Sweet raspberry nose, a little spirity (they only admitted to 14.5%), sweet on palate, very nice now with soft tannins. No rush, but why wait?

1998 Dom. Santa Duc – mature nose, fruit and funk together, with slight volatile acidity, and lots of heat. Again, the bottle didn’t tell the real story on alcohol, but Parker lists this one at 15.3%. Cherry fruit in the nose, good midpalate, narrowing a little at the end, and that impression was enhanced by the slightly high terminal acidity. The levels of fruit are ot so high that I would postpone gratification on this one and I doubt it will improve from here although it should hold awhile.

With an especially good salad of greens with slices of foie gras, strips of duck prosciutto and an apple filled ravioli:

2000 Feraud-Brunel – nose immediately showing more complexity than the 2005. In the nose some leather and blackberry with hints of tree resin and mint, warm but not hot, still with obvious tannins, but ready to drink and well rounded.

2001 Raspail Ay – the nose was not as extroverted as the previous wine, but had more depth when you worked at it a bit, with cherry fruit and hints of thyme. Smooth and ready to drink, this was a very traditional wine that everyone enjoyed.

With Washington Fresh Water Sturgeon, fresh artichokes Barigoule (shallots, garlic, bacon braised), fennel, zucchinis, green olives, veal jus (I had misgivings about this suggestion, but overcame them and the food worked very well with these big reds)

2000 Dom. Les Pallieres – a tad hot with loads of fruit in the nose, but also some bandaid and cinnamon. Cherry fruit, and in general this wine showed as more modern with dry tannins and a very dry finish.

2001 Dom. Les Pallieres – hot nose with anise, vanilla and chocolate, the wine still pretty firm. It wasn’t elegant but it was tasty, and in some ways came across as more like a California wine than a Rhone, finishing a little sweet. Opinions were divided with some liking each wine. I opted for the more traditional 2000.

With Roasted Lamb loin in crust of garlic and almonds, lamb jus, seasonal vegetables and house fries:


1995 Domaine Santa Duc les Hautes Garrigues – very dark with a very concentrated nose, this was obviously a whole different level/style of wine. Warm blackberry nose with some vanilla, huge fruit on palate with significant tannins but also lots of acidity. Cropped at ridiculously low levels, this shows in the wine. It wasn’t really ready yet although it was a lot of fun the way it is and it will certainly go on for many years. This is about as good as it gets in Gigondas. Thanks to RP, we know this was 15.64% alcohol.

1998 St Cosme Valbelle – I was tempted to bring the 1997, which I think is even better, but we could only cover so many wines. This one turned out to be a great match with the Santa Duc. A lead pencil nose, hot and concentrated with tar, plums and blueberry, and a good whack of oak, although this did not follow through on palate. Good length with more tannin than acid, this was also an excellent wine.

With cheese:

2001 Domaine La Bouissiere Gigondas Le Font de Tonin – more cherries and blackberries in a fairly hot nose that also showed a hint of coffee. The higher Mourvedre seemed obvious with a bit more animal in the nose and the wine was big and sweet in the mouth, also one of the heavy hitter brigade, if not quite in the class of the previous pair. I have both the regular and the Font de Tonin and think I might compare them one of these days.

The dinner was enjoyed by all and the wines showed a uniformity of quality ranging from pleasant to profound that was gratifying. If I were seeking big high alcohol wines with lavish sweet fruit and impressive concentration, I’d look here rather than Australia every time, but that’s just my preference (and I say that owning a lot of Aussie wine as well). In the garden in the summer with a coarse sausage, a bowl of olives and a hunk of cheese, life doesn’t get much better than one of these wines as accompaniment.

Bill,
Thanks for the notes. Few years ago, I was in the delightful town of Vacqueyras where Arnoux et fils reside. I tried their 1999, 2000 and 2001 Vacqueyras and gained new found respect for that appelation. I have never tried their Gigondas but if the vintage and my past experience holds true, it might be rewarding in a few years. But, like you said..why wait?

Shaji, there are quite a few small appellations that produce reliable, good, if rustic wines. The ones we've mentioned, plus Cairanne, Rasteau, Sablet.....sadly, some of them are becoming more expensive now, a sure consequence of good review numbers from the usual reviewers.

Bill, I agree, an excellent range of wines here. I admit I was a little concerned at having such a 'narrow' theme, but really enjoyed all the wines, and given the range of producers and vintages, there was never any thinking, "this tastes so similar to the previous wine(s)".

Another surprise was how well all these were drinking (except the 2001 Font de Tonin, which was still young). But there were no tannic brutes, and I didn't think heat was a problem for any of the wines.

The one message that came out loud and clear to me was how well these wines age. It's a shame (though not a crime) to drink Gigondas too young, as they really do blossom with a few years under their cork. The high end bottling need 8-10 years to hit their stride. The traditional (no new oak) bottles smooth out after 5-6 years.

The 1995 Domaine Santa Duc les Hautes Garrigues and 1998 St Cosme Valbelle pairing with the lamb was the standout for me, with both wines being of outstanding quality (A-/A for both). The Santa Duc just pipped the Valbelle for my GOTN (Gigondas of the night). The Valbelle had a liqueur-like quality that was interesting, and the concentration was stunning (but not OTT); but the Sanata Duc had a bit of extra complexity that won the day for me. The Font de Tonin should be great in 3-5 years! But all the wines were very enjoyable, as was the food. I loved the texture of the sturgeon!

Great to see and talk to all the wine fanatics again, and thanks again for timing the event so I could attend!

[Jenise]

Bill, as I said at dinner, I hoped to come away from this tasting with a better sense of Gigondas, some imprint that would help me in a blind tasting recognize some essentiall -ness that would distinguish it from other Southern Rhones. The wines were so different that I couldn't come away with that at all, but even in that there's knowledge. It did, however, cement impressions already gleaned about the exceptional quality of Santa Duc and St. Cosme wines, and as a result I have some shopping to do. Not that I need more wine, of course....

About the wines we tasted, I found the Arnoux a bit simpler than I had last Friday, though it was decanted for the same period of time (about six hours). It never really put on the weight last week's bottle did, though it was entirely pleasant.

Sean's Santa Duc was more like it. I agree with you that it has no further improvement to offer, but it was right in the pocket, at peak, for that bottle. Nice!

On the Feraud-Brunel I found orange rind amidst the red fruits, a little saddle leather and powdery tannins on the finish. Very good and not yet at peak.

The 2001 Raspail Ay seemed closer to its peak than the Feraud to me, brighter and more polished (filtered?), with silky tannins and a bit of milk chocolate in the finish.

The two Pallieres was an interesting pairing with the 2000 showing so much more backward of the two, even though I decanted it for about six hours prior--it hardly budged at all in that time. Loved the cinnamon and sagebrush notes in the nose. The 2001 (from two 375's) was so much more Californian, warm and caramelly in the finish, and seemingly the more mature wine though in fact younger. For drinking now, I like the 2001. To hold, the 2000.

The main course smack down between the two exceptional 95 and 98 wines was most enlightening. As you said, these were in a whole new league. They were equally impressive, with the 98 Valbelle being just a tad more accessible. That and the spicy oak nose made it the more attractive wine to me of the two, but I would expect the darker 95 to triumph in the long run. I must buy these wines!

The Bouissiere was an interesting finale--all I tasted was syrah and mouvedre, couldn't find the grenache here at all. Which isn't a complaint--I agree with your assessment completely, and am glad to have a few of these in the cellar.

Thanks for a great night--the food was outstanding, and the effort you put into selecting the courses really showed. Loved everything, and that salad was just brilliant.