Is Gigondas the overlooked CDP cousin?

WINE TALK
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21

Try the Part de Agnes by Usseglio. Stunning CDP, if you can find it. I believe it is 70% Mourvedre. Amazing wine.

22

I have a lot of deep pocket wine collector friends who love Northern Rhone and I’ve had the La Mouline, La Landonne, and La Turque several times, some of them with significant bottle age, and stored perfectly. And some of the other Hermitage monsters, like the La Chapelle, and I just don’t find them to be that amazing. I guess they’re just not my palate, my friends seem to love them because they’re very mysterious and they seem to hold a lot back compared to the CDP’s, which I think are much more generous and accessible.

I suppose I prefer the Southern Rhones alot more, as I am not a huge fan of mostly syrah. Love great grenache and mourvedre. Though I definitely try to avoid the fruit bombs.

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23

The La Louisiane tends to be quite forward and plush. The Souteyrades is astonishing. Such amazing QPR. Bordering on a profound wine for the money, with enough bottle age. A group of us drank this along with several other really outstanding wines, and this was the wine of the evening. I’ve been to this winery and the winemaker Joel Saurel himself said this is his favorite of the three. It was a 2010, and with 15 years from the vintage this bottle was in a perfect place, without the fruit having fallen off one bit. It was sumptuous and had so many beautiful herbal, floral, red fruit, berries, and forest like notes. Silky, gorgeous mouthfeel, and a long finish. Very good. 80% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre and 5% Syrah and Cinsault, all aged in foudre.

24

Had Rayas a few times, thought it has been awhile. It is very, very good. But the QPR makes no sense these days, unless money is simply not an object at all. Henri Bonneau Reserve des Celestins is far better for the money, and if you can find a 2007, 2010 or 2016, that is about as good as it gets. Way better than Beaucastel Hommage, in my humble and relatively uneducated opinion.

Also Isabel Ferrando Colombis is amazing! But requires some time in the bottle.

25

Thanks. Good info. And great work with Clarice. Such elegance.

26

Sorry for the thread drift here.
Those “LaLa” Côte-Rôties and La Chapelle Hermitage are some of the densest, most powerful, and most polished expressions of the Northern Rhône. They lean toward showy, glossy styles; to me more trophies than soulful wines. They’re not the best gateway to the range of character the region offers.

Before writing off the Northern Rhône, if you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to try some of the growers I like who make more transparent, soulful wines: Allemand and Balthazar in Cornas, Gonon in St-Joseph, Benetiere, Clusel-Roch, Jasmin, and Levet in Côte-Rôtie. Even something like Faury’s St-Joseph is an excellent and fairly priced entry point that shows the perfume and balance the region is known for.

You may find those bottles give a very different impression than the big names you’ve tried so far. If you’ve already tried some of those, then you’re right, it’s just not your thing

Cheers,
Warren

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27

Is this the first recorded usage of the word Gigondases?

28

Thanks for the recommendations. I have always been curious about the other Northern Rhone areas. I have had some Cornas that I liked. Yeah, I think those monsters are just too overdone. Not soulful enough. I love that.

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29

I had my first one recently, a 2018 VV. Not OTT, the fruit a little more to the red side, oak was not excessive. But fruit was quite ripe and on the sweeter cherry side. Some classic Southern RhĂ´ne complexity.

Consider the hot vintage and the wine being younger. But that night it was not an ooze monster but not AFWE either. Good value for $30 or so. Might have been better with more age and/or decant.

30

I much prefer the two others over the old vines. Worth a try.

31

It was used often in the 17th century by the Benedictine monks. LOL.

32

The LaLas and the La Chapelles really need a lot of age. 10 years ago I had a 1985 La Chapelle and it was really a WOW wine: bacon fat, earthy soil, elegant and delicious. Everything I could want in a Hermitage. An example to look for going forward. Of course, YMMV.

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33

I prefer Gigondass for the plurality!

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34

Would you prefer Gigondi?

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35

Must be a fan of Brett!

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36

Awesome!!!

37

Favre? Never was a fan

38

And here I thought you preferred it for the nose. :rofl:

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39

Gigondas’
is my solution.
:grin:

I recommend to try

  • Saint-Gayan
  • Hauts de Montmirail (Brusset)
40

Wouldn’t that make it a possessive? How would you distinguish between Gigondas’ reds are better than their rosés and I like these two Gigondas’?