“Bold raspberry and black cherry aromas are laced with Campari-like spice on the nose of the stunning 2019 Gigondas Le Lieu Dit, which comes from a sandy, southwest-facing parcel that is consistently among the last plots on the estate to be harvested. Full-bodied and velvety in texture, this is a rich, tannic (but ripe) example of Grenache that should be capable of aging well for close to two decades." RP

"Limpid ruby color. Expressive red fruit preserve, lavender and baking spice scents show excellent clarity and pick up a suggestion of incense with air. Gently chewy and lively on the palate. Alluring sweet cherry, raspberry and spicecake flavors deepen steadily on the back half. It shows impressive concentration but comes off vibrant, finishing extremely long and spicy, with well-judged tannins adding final grip." Vinous

"Bosquets" is a top terroir containing a small enclave of pure fine sand, locally called "Safres". This is the vineyard that surrounds the cuverie. Despite its lower altitude, this is still where the last harvest is done. This is because the plot is surrounded by higher rocks and forest and receives less direct sun. That, together with the sandy soil gives the estate's most nuanced, refined wine and this without sacrificing volume and power. Simply delicious! In fact, vines were planted on this plot as early as the 14th century! Yield of barely 18hl/ha

"Proprietor Julien Brechet is redefining Gigondas through his exploration of selections parcellaires, which are essentially monovarietal. Le Lieu Dit and La Colline are Grenache, Le Plateau is Mourvèdre and Les Routes is Syrah. The blended cuvée remains an assemblage of four varieties and represents an outstanding value. Brechet is pleased with the quality he's been able to achieve the past few vintages but says he's always striving to do better. On this visit, he poured a couple of older vintages so we could look at his progress, saying that he felt he'd made mistakes at times in the past. Of the La Colline, Brechet says, "Before it was impressive, now it's expressive." One of the keys to the quality he was able to achieve in 2018, he says, was the use of destemming, which he now varies considerably from year to year (in 2017, he used as much as 30% whole clusters). Brechet considers 2018 to be a year that favored Grenache, comparing it to 2006 and 2012. That said, I remain impressed by his Les Routes (Syrah), which has become one of the Southern Rhône's greatest examples of that variety—worth noting is that the genetic material is a sélection massale from Fonsalette, which is said to originate from cuttings provided by the Chave family. Equally impressive is the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Brechet bottles from a tiny patch of 100-year-old vines farmed for him by his brother Laurent (Château de Vaudieu). "The signature of the estate is the finesse," Brechet says." RP