Gigondas

Hello, again, everybody.  Today, we're highlighting Gigondas (pronounced GEE-gon-DAS).  It is a small grapegrowing appellation in the Southern Rhone Valley, not far from the more famous Châteauneuf du Pape.  Here's a map to give you a better idea of its location.  Click on the image for an enlarged view.

You can see Gigondas is north of the Mediterranean city of Marseille, not far from Italy to the east.  Mary and I have long enjoyed Gigondas wines and visited there last May.  It is in the hills and compared to nearby villages it is cooler, rockier, and produces wines of greater perfume, elegance, and cellaring potential.  Like many villages in the south of France, it is ancient.  Take a look at Mary's next photo and note the remains of a Roman fortification.

The Cèpage of Gigondas, like much of the rest of the Southern Rhone, includes many grapes, but principally Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, and Cinsault.  Almost all the wines are blends, but percentages vary.  Grenache usually comprises the largest percentage.  The typical profile of Gigondas includes the berry, spice, and herbal garrigue qualities of the Southern Rhone, but the altitude and slightly cooler temperatures retain a bit more acidity that comes across as a nice minerality.  Because Gigondas is a bit off the beaten path of the world wine stage, its wines are usually less expensive than better known appellations such as Châteauneuf du Pape.

We recently acquired a Domaine Brusset, then visited the tasting room of the domaine while we were vacationing there.

Here are my notes on the wine.
Domaine Brusset Les Hauts de Montmirail Gigondas 2004.  This wine was lean, elegant, and balanced.  The aroma profile showed berry fruit and herbal notes of thyme and sage.  The palate was smooth in texture with bright acidity and refined tannins.  The flavor profile was of red cherry, raspberry, perhaps licorice.  Nicely balanced, not too complex, medium length, good but not excellent.  55% grenache, 25% mourvedre, 20% syrah, 14.0% alcohol.  We paid $33 for this wine.  You can see in the photo above we enjoyed it with a pasta dish.  The sauce was meatless and  homemade with herbs and vegetables, such as fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and eggplant.  Along with a salad and bread (whole grain, of course), it was delicious and satisfying.

That's our post for today.  Hope you enjoyed it, found it interesting, and keep coming back for more of Cèpage et Cuisine!

Cheers,
Brian and Mary