The Deep Bench of Gigondas

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS&nbsp;|&nbsp;JANUARY 19, 2023Like the rest of the Rhône valley, and Europe,
Gigondas has been confronting hot, dry weather conditions since 2017. Luckily,
the best, most experienced growers and winemakers have handled the situation
with a steady hand. Still, there’s no question that many wines from recent
vintages are distinctly powerful, often high in alcohol, with more dark fruit
character and tannic structure than usual.

Gigondas wines can show distinct elegance, even
complexity on the young side, which is a big part of their appeal compared to
quite a few of their neighbors. Lofty percentages of high altitude-grown
Grenache, from relatively cooler conditions, are undoubtedly the leading factor
for these characteristics. Producers here tend to lean on large, usually
neutral oak foudres and large concrete vats for raising their wines; both vessels
are ideal for retaining freshness. They are also essential for making Grenache,
a highly oxidative variety that usually doesn’t take well to small barrel
treatment in the cellar.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1674144710886-4-Gigondas_2.jpg">Some seriously involved winemaking calculations on an old tank at Raspail-Ay, one of the most storied domaines in Gigondas. 

While a handful of producers can command high, even very
high, prices for their tiny production, single-site or prestige bottlings, the
overwhelming majority of Gigondas fall comfortably under $50 a bottle. Numerous
outstanding wines come in below $30 as well. The average quality standard for
Gigondas is remarkable, regardless of the prices asked, which is all the more
impressive. A handful of wines can show a rustic streak, especially if their blends
are high in Syrah and/or Mourvèdre. However, sloppy winemaking,
obsolete cellar equipment, dirty working conditions and dodgy barrels are now true
rarities here.A significant reason for the uniformly high quality of
wines produced here is the relatively small and very tight community, with a very
active producers association. Most producers live in the village, and many
others live nearby in Vacqueyras, Sablet, Rasteau, Beaumes-de-Venise or Violés,
rarely more than ten minutes away. Slacking off is noted in such a small setting, and nobody
wants to be “that person” in a village with so many high-quality and
increasingly famous producers. Secondly, increased demand, and the
pricing that follows, has allowed domaines to invest in better equipment,
especially presses and modern bottling lines. The younger generation of
winemakers is highly educated, and most are quite well-traveled. Gigondas
producers know where they stand on the wine map. They know how they want to be
perceived in the world market and are ambitious and competitive.Availability, Prestige and PricingGigondas selections continue to be among the best values
in high-quality, small-production, domaine-bottled wines in all of France.
That’s particularly clear when one compares them to the tariffs that most wines
from Châteauneuf-du-Pape
have long commanded. Taking the handful of super-luxe, limited-edition, mega-old
vine Gigondas out of the discussion, it amazes me just how much wine one can
get here for the prices charged. Fortunately, importers around the world have
taken notice, and more and more Gigondas bottlings are becoming available worldwide,
specifically in the United States. Gigondas delivers some of the best bang for my
buck in cellar-worthy red wines from France today.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1674144161233-16-Gigondas.jpg">An impressive display of old, young and in-between Gigondas from many of the most esteemed producers in the appellation. Does Gigondas age? This collection said, “oh, yes.” Age-worthiness of GigondasI had the opportunity to sit down and taste a few older
Gigondas (1990 Raspail-Ay, 1989 Saint-Gayan, 1972 Pierre Amadieu
Romane-Machotte and 1971 Cayron) when I visited the region this past June. All
the wines came directly from the producers’ cellars and had not been moved
since they were laid down in bins immediately after bottling; thus, there was a
definite home-field advantage. Admittedly, these bottles were hand selected, but
I was surprised, if not floored, by how gracefully they had aged or were still aging.
And we’re talking about wines from an era when cellar practices were far less
efficient and, let’s face it, less clean than they are today. Regarding age-worthiness,
Gigondas wines can be enjoyed soon after release but have the depth and balance
to mature with ease.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1674144126653-1-Gigondas+2023.jpg">A once-in-a-lifetime tasting of iconic Gigondas that offered examples back to 1970. Vintages 2021 – 2018In 2021, the high-altitude, steeply sloped vineyards
of Gigondas, where the vines don’t usually awaken until mid-April, were
relatively unaffected by the frosts that slammed so many regions across France
- on April 8th, in this part of the country. But there was often
serious damage in the lower, earlier flowering sites, those on the roads
leading up and into the village, meaning as much as 50% crop loss in some spots. The spring that followed was cool and rainy,
and maturity loped along at a languid pace, some two weeks behind average. The
summer saw moderate temperatures, with no heat spikes, followed by often heavy
rains in early fall, leading up to harvest. Choice in the vines was essential
because of rot pressure. The resulting wines, from a shorter crop than normal,
tend to reflect the cool and damp growing season as they show bright, nervy
fruit that leans to the red side, a relief for those who found the earlier
three vintages more brawny and dark-fruited than they might prefer. This will
be a very interesting and probably wildly diverse vintage to dive into now that
many of the wines have been bottled or soon will be and, hopefully, will be resting,
safe and cool, in foreign warehouses by the time the weather starts to heat up
in May. Or is it April now?Compared to 2019 and 2018, 2020 produced many wines that
show real freshness, energy and detail, with fruit
that leans more into the classic red and sometimes blue sectors of the color,
aroma and flavor spectrum. By contrast, a large number of 2019s and 2018s (and 2017s,
for that matter), start off at blue and move toward the black spectrum, even
really black. These are not wines that are likely to sway fans of racy red
wines, who usually have no time for Grenache in any form, but they stand out
compared to the previous three vintages. Two thousand sixteen comes to mind as
a fair comparison, and they are far less strict than most, if not all, the
super-structured 2015s. That said, the best 2020s do have more than adequate
depth and occasionally solid, moderately tannic spine. Those tannins should
begin sliding away before long, and even now, the best wines show a lot of
friendly, bright, fruit-driven character, with strong florality and spiciness
that will make many fans quite happy.<img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1674144139940-10-Gigondas.jpg">Sprawling lavender fields appear throughout the region surrounding Gigondas, from&nbsp;here to the south. At least by
historic standards, 2019 was yet another dry, scorching hot vintage for
Gigondas. By today’s measure, however, it’s the type of year that has become
more common than not. I prefer the 2019s to their 2018 siblings, which tend to
be even richer. Spring was very warm and dry; the weather turned hotter up to
and through summer, with three severe heat spikes that spurred sugar
development. Fortunately, acidity levels stayed uncannily high for such hot and
dry conditions, which has helped the wines to sometimes surprise with their
energy. Still, it's highly unlikely that Pinot Noir lovers will convert their
cellars to giant bins of Grenache if they spin through the 2019s!















The Gigondas
2018s are the product of a hot and dry year, and the wines show it for
the most part. Those growers who own vineyards up in the Dentelles mountains suffered
less from the day-time heat than others, not to mention that these
high-altitude sites experience predictably cool and even cold nights. Those
factors saved many a wine in 2018 (and 2019 and 2020, as well, and a whole lot
of other recent years and more to come, no doubt). These are wines that tend to
be broad, weighty, expressive and loaded with mostly dark fruit character. But
there are several examples that lead with blue and even red fruit, if not of
the redcurrant, cranberry, pomegranate or strawberry sort. It would be a shame
to miss out on quite a few 2018s, given how their rich fruit is buffered by floral,
spice and mineral character, all of which combine to make for some compelling
drinking.I tasted most of these wines during my trips to the Rhône
in April and June 2022. The rest were sampled here in New York. © 2023, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or re-distributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright, but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.<div><hr> You Might Also Enjoy<a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/gigondas-maintains-its-tempo-feb-2020">Gigondas Maintains Its Tempo</a>, Josh Raynolds, February 2020 <a target="_blank" href="https://vinous.com/articles/2016-gigondas-a-slam-dunk-aug-2018">2016 Gigondas – A Slam Dunk</a>, Josh Raynolds, August 2018<a target="_blank" href="https://www.vinous.com/articles/2014-gigondas-charms-while-2015-stuns-sep-2017">2014 Gigondas Charms While 2015 Stuns</a>, Josh Raynolds, September 2017</div>

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