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The wines > Gigondas

• BERTRAND STEHELIN
  

  LVT 2010 r Very small estate towards Sablet, authentic wines, on the up

• CAVE DE GIGONDAS
  

  LVT 2010 r 33% sold to merchants. Annual average of 400,000 bottles of all Gigondas. They make 5,000 HL of Gigondas, and 4,000 HL of all other wines – vin de pays, vin de table, CdRhône, Séguret (their only Village). 83 adherents, av holding 2.3 hectares, all of them have Gigondas vines. Has always produced wines that demonstrate the merits of a small scale Co-operative. The reds are usually well filled and have some local character. Signature is very sound, and good value, too.

• CHÂTEAU DE MONTMIRAIL
  

  LVT 2009 r 2007 wh rosé Wines likely to become more polished in future

• CHÂTEAU DE SAINT COSME
  

  LVT 2010 r 2011 wh Exuberant wines, lots of oak, a very good merchant range under the Saint Cosme title.

• CHÂTEAU DU TRIGNON
  

  LVT 2010 r Big change of outlook, since this estate was bought by Jérome Quiot of Domaine du Vieux Lazaret at Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The wines have always been quite modern; recent vintages from 2007 and 2009 have been successful at Gigondas and the newly acquired 10 hectares of Vacqueyras. Sound Rasteau, Sablet and Plan de Dieu as well.

• CHÂTEAU RASPAIL
  

  LVT 2010 r The culture-loving Christian is the son of the legendary Gabriel Meffre. He works in a quiet way and the wines are agreeably understated. I feel they have made progress in recent times, with his son François vinifying since 2002.

• CLOS DU JONCUAS
  

  LVT 2009 r Organic farming here, with wines that need time to integrate. The reds contain very good fruit purity in the warmer years, but the tannins can need be rather austere early on. Good Séguret as well.

• DOMAINE BURLE
  

  LVT 2009 r Two of the three sons of the late lamented Edmond Burle, both in their early thirties. As expected, natural, whole bunch wines with lots of guts in them. STGT notions here.

• DOMAINE DE FONT-SANE
  

  LVT 2009 r Greater use of oak than in the past, but the wines have good heart. Whole bunch fermentations. Also superior Ventoux.

• DOMAINE DE LA DAYSSE
  

  LVT 2009 r Offshoot of Gabriel Meffre. Wines showing improvement

• DOMAINE DE LA MAVETTE
  

  LVT 2009 r Another example of an improved Gigondas domaine, with more precise winemaking since the mid-2000s

• DOMAINE DE LA TOURADE
  

  LVT 2009 r Solid Gigondas, Vacqueyras

• DOMAINE DE LONGUE TOQUE
  

  LVT 2010 r Part of the Gabriel Meffre empire since 1999

• DOMAINE DES BOSQUETS
  

  LVT 2010 r In the same ownership as the Château de Vaudieu at Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Recent improvement, with richer wines, the crop later picked than in the past. Modern leaning under the keen guidance of Laurent Brechet`s motivated younger brother, Julien.

• DOMAINE DES ESPIERS
  

  LVT 2010 r The switched-on owner is married to the also switched-on owner of Domaine de Montvac at Vacqueyras. There can be great fruit in the Côtes du Rhône. Vieilles Vignes Gigondas is good value.

• DOMAINE DES FLORETS
  

  LVT 2010 r A domaine accentuating elegance. Jérome Boudier has worked in large enterprises around the Southern Rhône, including Costières de Nimes, Laudun and the Cellier des Princes. His vineyards are at altitude near the Dentelles, and the first wines are rather promising. His parents are olive growers near Puyméras. His first vintage was 2006. Good new Côtes du Rhône red since 2009, note.

• DOMAINE DES TOURELLES
  

  LVT 2007 r STGT domaine, with Roger Cuillerat the classic man of the soil. The domaine was sold to the Perrin family of Château de Beaucastel in early September, 2008.

• DOMAINE DU CAYRON
  

  LVT 2010 r Changing style here with the new generation. Basil-dominated bouquets each year.

• DOMAINE DU GOUR DE CHAULÉ
  

  LVT 2010 r 2010 rosé Traditional, whole bunch fermentation. Gradually freshening style of wines.

• DOMAINE DU GRAND BOURJASSOT
  

  LVT 2009 r A name to watch. Cécile Varenne married Jean-Yves Perez of Domaine de l`Obrieu at Visan in Sept 2009 - two promising growers getting together, c`est bien.

• DOMAINE DU GRAND MONTMIRAIL
  

  LVT 2006 r Experienced family, also have a merchant business. Robust, traditional leaning in the wines.

• DOMAINE DU GRAPILLON D`OR
  

  LVT 2010 r Benchmark Gigondas, with STGT leanings. Sound Vacqueyras from a small vineyard.

• DOMAINE DU PESQUIER
  

  LVT 2010 r Leading Gigondas. Vacqueyras is pretty good, too. STGT wines.

• DOMAINE DU POURRA
  

  LVT 2010 r Jean-Christian is a practising doctor of medicine, with his surgery at Mornas. The domaine was purchased in 1998, first wine produced in 1999 No external yeasts, low use of sulphur in the cellar, crop hand harvested. Long raising. Robust, sometimes fiery.

• DOMAINE DU TERME
  

  LVT 2009 r

• DOMAINE LA BOUISSIÈRE
  

  LVT 2010 r Robust, successful Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Vin de Table

• DOMAINE LA BOUSCATIERE
  

  LVT 2005 r Natural, country wines with STGT leanings. A lot is sold in bulk to merchants

• DOMAINE LA ROUBINE
  

  LVT 2010 r An ex-Co-operateur, Eric has been a vigneron since 1990. His first wine was 2000. Good quality, STGT leanings, too. Also sound Vacqueyras, Sablet red.

• DOMAINE LA SOURCE DES ROMARINS
  

  LVT 2009 r Modest

• DOMAINE LE PÉAGE
  

  LVT 2004 r Only 10% is bottled – 5,000 bottles. The same family as Domaine La Bouscatière.

• DOMAINE LES CHÊNES BLANCS
  

  LVT 2010 r Good Gigondas here, whole bunch use. Clément`s uncle is Thiérry Faravel.

• DOMAINE LES GOUBERT
  

  LVT 2010 r 2007 wh Quirky, experimental, Jean-Pierre Cartier has long been a vigneron of note. The first to use new oak in 1985, via his Cuvée Florence. Also good Sablet, Beaumes-de-Venise. Daughter Florence now working on the domaine.

• DOMAINE LES PALLIÈRES
  

  LVT 2010 r The Brunier-Kermit Lynch estate. Refined wines. The standard wine was split into two different cuvées in 2007, one from near the domaine (Les Racines), the other from higher up (Terrasse du Diable). Les Racines, from older vines, is the winner, a very stylish wine.

• DOMAINE LES TEYSSONNIÈRES
  

  LVT 2009 r Franck Alexandre, President of the Growers Union, also works closely with the Perrin family, for their Perrin et Fils range. The sandiest soils in Gigondas.

• DOMAINE NOTRE DAME DES PALLIÈRES
  

  LVT 2010 r Improving wines

• DOMAINE PAILLERE ET PIED-GU
  

  LVT 2010 r I sense some improvement here, younger generation influence as well.

• DOMAINE PALON
  

  LVT 2008 r 2009 wh Early drinking style of red Vacqueyras, Gigondas

• DOMAINE RASPAIL-AY
  

  LVT 2010 09 r 2009 rosé Very consistent, high quality - full, robust wines that reward patience to allow their tannins to settle and integrate. Some of the wines are STGT.

• DOMAINE SAINT DAMIEN
  

  LVT 2010 r Sweetening, smoothing wines under the influence of the well-known Châteauneuf-du-Pape oenologue adviser, Philippe Cambie, who favours markedly ripe cropping and low sulphur use – think Domaine Saint-Préfert, for example. They are interesting in the sleek, modern way. Good Vin de France since 2010.

• DOMAINE SAINT FRANÇOIS XAVIER
  

  LVT 2010 r 4th generation domaine that is now bottling more than in the past, when the wine was sold to the merchant trade. Connections with a bottle shop - the Tour de l`Isle wine store

• DOMAINE SAINT GAYAN
  

  LVT 2010 r 2009 wh Top-class Gigondas domaine. Very long-lived wines, from the heart of the matter.

• DOMAINE SAINTE-ANNE
  

  LVT 2009 r Modern style vinification, although concrete vat raising. Correct Gigondas here, especially if left to mature.

• DOMAINE SANTA DUC
  

  LVT 2010 r Yves Gras makes punchy wines that tread a tightrope between mature finesse and concentrated extraction. He has a busy merchant business as well - includes good Roaix.

• DOMAINE VARENNE
  

  LVT 2008 r Split of family domaine means that Lurent Varenne runs this 6+ hectare side of it. Some quality in the wines, notably oaked 2008

• GABRIEL MEFFRE
  

  LVT 2010 r wh 2006 rosé Bought in 2009 by Boisset, the BIG CHEESE company of France actuellement. Where Boisset go with it, and what they do with the Gigondas Domaine de Longue Toque and the Château Grand Escalion at Costières de Nimes remains to be seen. The company that brings you Fat Bastard wines, as well as the supermarket favourite Côtes-du-Rhône La Châsse du Pape red. Gabriel was the main man at Gigondas post-World War Two.

• LE MAS DES FLAUZIÈRES
  

  LVT 2009 r Recent improvement

• MAS DES RESTANQUES
  

  LVT 2010 r 2010 wh Ex Co-operateurs at Vacqueyras. Jean-Luc is from that village, Josie from Gigondas. First wine in 2007. Understated, natural style to the wines, finesse successfully achieved. Officially organic from 2012.

• MOULIN DE LA GARDETTE
  

  LVT 2010 r Carefully made, interesting wines from a domaine moving to organic cultivation

• PIERRE AMADIEU
  

  LVT 2010 r 2007 rosé Improved wines, definite signs of revival at this long-established, large domaine. Good Vacqueyras since 2007, also.