2015 Domaine du Gour de Chaule
Gigondas, FR
Regular price $42.99
Sale Price $33.99
Once upon a time, no one paid attention to wines from the southern Rhone valley. The wines were much the same as they are now, but because the critics had not yet ‘discovered’ these wines, they were cheap and plentiful.
Fast forward some 30 years and these wines are still plentiful, if not quite so cheap. But if one looks outside of the famed Châteauneuf-du-Pape, from where prices have quadrupled, to the lesser known ‘satellite’ appellations, prices are still quite reasonable. And the wines, which have always been powerful and fruit forward, haven’t suffered from the influence of the critics like, say, Napa Valley Cab has (unless, of course, you like sugary sweet red wines.)
This is a fabulous example of a classic wine from Gigondas. Gigondas is located to the northeast of Chateauneuf. An ancient growing area, it became an AOC in 1971. One finds only red wines and rosé in Gigondas, and according to the INAO, Gigondas Rouge is to be made from a maximum 80% Grenache, a minimum 15% Syrah and/or Mourvedre, and a maximum 10% from the other Rhône varietals. If that all sounds a bit confusing, relax…Grenache is the principal grape here (as it is throughout the southern Rhone) and the precise percentage of each grape in each wine is not terribly important.
Rich and dense with notable herbal tones, this is a wine that likely has the ability to age for some time, but, really, why? Drink it happily over the next year or so with everything from lamb to pork to beef.