Domaine Gour de Chaule Gigondas

Domaine du Gour de Chaule was established at the beginning of the last century where it was split between the production of olives and vines. As the years progressed it became more focussed on winemaking and from the 1970s onwards the estate has been bottling and selling its own wines. The estate has 10 hectares planted predominantly with Grenache. The rest of the vineyards are planted with Syrah, Mourvedre and a little Cinsault for making rose. This wine is made up of Eighty percent Grenache, fifteen percent Syrah and five percent Mourvedre.

The Southern Rhone is home to many famous appellations with a great variety of soils and microclimates, though in general sees ideal growing conditions that are warm and dry, with the Mistral wind proving a defining feature. Grenache forms the backbone of southern Rhône blends, including Châteauneuf du Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueyras. Gigondas is known for making styles like Châteauneuf du Pape but at a far more accessible price and, on occasion, better quality. Red wines from here are typically bold, forward, ripe and relatively high in alcohol – in fact, the appellation laws require a minimum alcohol level of 12.5 percent, one of the highest stipulated for French red wine.

A deep almost black colour, this organic Gigondas offers an exceptionally concentrated nose of wild herbs, black olives and black fruits. It is rich and mouth filling, with amazing weight of fruit on the palate and balanced by soft rounded tannins. Notes of blackcurrant, plum and pepper linger on the palate creating an exceptionally long finish. Amazingly robust and fulfilling, this wine makes for a perfect complement to an evening with friends, or as a pairing for hearty bold meat dishes.