February 13, 2012 Embracing the Power of Gigondas By ERIC ASIMOV FRENCH winemakers, in their full-on selling mode, love to tell a story in which they serve their own invariably modest wares along with some competitors. expensive, highly rated bottles. Everybody loves the expensive wines on first taste, but at the end of the meal, the winemakers recount with pride, the other guys. bottles are still three-quarters full while their own have been drained dry and second bottles opened. The point? Just because a wine is immediately likable doesn.t mean it will remain pleasing over the long haul. This tale may have achieved all-star status among marketing cliché but it nonetheless applies particularly well when assessing grenache wines. Few grapes make wines as immediately pleasing as grenache. A first glass envelops you in its rich, powerfully fruity embrace. It.s that tricky second glass where the measure of the wine can be taken. That glass will reveal whether the initial blast of fruit was structured in a way that will refresh, invigorate and energize, or whether it will simply wear you out. The fatigue factor is often a problem with grenache. It.s a hot-weather grape, planted throughout southern France, Spain, California and Australia, and it regularly achieves alcohol levels over 15 percent. Without scrupulous management, especially in the vineyard, those fruit flavors can easily taste hot, jammy and sweet. Yet, when done right, the sheer fruit-drenched power of grenache can be immensely winning, particularly when the juicy, exuberant fruit is tempered by mineral or herbal flavors that create a sense of complexity. Just the other day, I opened a 2008 Gigondas from Domaine du Cayron. Like most reds from the southern Rhô this was a blend dominated by grenache, 70 percent in this case, along with syrah, cinsault and a touch of mourvèe. The wine was ravishing, with the great wash of plummy, berry fruit anchored by an earthy, almost gravelly foundation. Sure, it was 14.5 percent alcohol, but it was perfectly refreshing. My wife and I finished a bottle, proving once again the utility of the old French winemakers. saw. Grenache is the basis for great wines like Châauneuf-du-Pape and Priorat from Catalonia, as well as many lesser known wines, including Gigondas, Châauneuf.s close neighbor. Perhaps as a result of the increased popularity of Châauneuf, or its rising cost, I.ve seen more Gigondas in the last few years, especially on restaurant wine lists, where they are often touted as less expensive versions of Châauneuf. In an effort to get a clearer picture of Gigondas, the wine panel tasted 20 bottles from recent vintages, mostly 2009s but also a scattering of .07s and .08s, and one 2010. For the tasting, Florence Fabricant and I were joined by Raj Vaidya, the head sommelier at Daniel, and Pascaline Lepeltier, wine director at Rouge Tomate. We all agreed that collectively, these were sound, fruity, generous wines that could be extremely likable. Yet it seemed equally clear that placing Gigondas on a level with Châauneuf was mostly wishful thinking. Good Châauneuf offers a kind of crumbling magnificence and grandeur that mostly eludes these more straightforward wines. We didn.t find the characteristic aromas of wild herbs and spices that relieve the fruitiness in good Châauneuf. Even the Domaine du Cayron, which I had enjoyed so much at home, but which sadly was not in our tasting, lacked that extra dimension. While the aromas and flavors of Châauneuf immediately evoke a particular sense of place, these Gigondas wines summoned up more generalized images of southern France. Raj suggested at one point that the telling details of Gigondas were not to be found in the aromas and flavors, but in the structure and high alcohol. Let.s be clear, though. I don.t mean to criticize Gigondas; I simply want to adjust expectations. Every sort of wine has its place, and I especially value good everyday wines. Even allowing for vintage variations (and 2009 was a warm year that would heighten the fruitiness and power), most Gigondas rarely rise to the level of exalted. .There.s a tiny world between Cô du Rhôand Gigondas, and a big gulf between Gigondas and Châauneuf,. Pascaline said. Wines from Gigondas had been considered Côdu Rhô until 1971, when the region was awarded the right to its own appellation. Among our favorites, we especially appreciated wines that offered a sense of liveliness and energy, which allows even big wines like these to be refreshing. Our No. 1 bottle, the 2009 Les Mourres from Notre Dame des Palliès, seemed particularly balanced despite its 15 percent alcohol, and was one of the more complex wines in the tasting. Our No. 2 wine, the 2007 CuvéTradition from Domaine du Gour de Chauléwas also fresh, and if it lacked the sheer power of the Notre Dame, it made up for it with herbal and mineral accents that we rarely found in the tasting. Like 2009, the 2007 vintage produced big, opulent wines. Many were over the top, though some (the Gour de Chaulénd our No. 3 bottle, the 2007 Domaine de Font-Sane) were delicious. The Font-Sane was a brawny wine, also at 15 percent, yet had that savory, earthy freshness that we liked so well. It was also our best value at $21. Most Gigondas are under $40 a bottle, though they occasionally rise to surprisingly expensive heights. We paid $73 for a 2009 Prestige des Hautes Garrigues from Domaine Santa Duc, yet we found it overly big and jammy. It didn.t make our top 10. Nor, at $65, did the 2008 Hominis Fides from Châau de St.-Cosme, which was rich and tannic, but had a sweet, candied fruit flavor. Other wines worth noting were the well-balanced 2009 Pierre Henri Morel; the concentrated yet complex .09 La Font de Tonin from Domaine la Bouïiè; the potent, juicy 2010 from Les Pierres du Vallat, a $19 bottle, and the slightly funky 2009 from Domaine Saint-Françs-Xavier. And I can.t forget the earthy, licorice-tinged .08 Domaine du Cayron that I drank at home. Even if it wasn.t in the tasting, it.s the benchmark I use for how enjoyable Gigondas can be. Try it, or any of our top wines, and see if you don.t find yourself reaching for a second bottle. Tasting Report Notre Dame des Palliès, $25, *** Gigondas Les Mourres 2009 Richly fruity yet fresh, with spicy, complex flavors. (Encore Wine Imports, Syracuse, N.Y.) Domaine du Gour de Chaulé$26, *** Gigondas CuvéTradition 2007 Lovely, rich berry flavors with spicy, stony, herbal accents. (Rosenthal Wine Merchant, New York) BEST VALUE Domaine de Font-Sane, $21, *** Gigondas Tradition 2007 Big, brawny and meaty with fresh, savory flavors of fruit and earth. (Baron Françs, New York) Pierre Henri Morel Gigondas, $40, ** ½ 2009 Well-balanced blend of fruit and mineral flavors with an added touch of herbs. (Massanois Imports, Washington, D.C.) Domaine la Bouïiè, $40, ** ½ Gigondas La Font de Tonin 2009 Juicy and concentrated with aromas and flavors of fruit, flowers and menthol. (Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, N.Y.) Les Pierres du Vallat Gigondas, $19, ** ½ 2010 Powerful flavors of juicy, ripe fruit tempered by savory notes. (Fruit of the Vines, Long Island City, N.Y.) Domaine Saint-Françs-Xavier, $30, ** ½ Gigondas Prestige des Dentelles 2009 Rich, jammy fruit flavors with a suggestion of funk and herbs. (Milton Road Trading, Napa, Calif.) Perrin & Fils Gigondas La Gille, $29, ** 2007 Balanced and somewhat simple with flavors of ripe fruit and earth. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, Ala.) Domaine du Grapillon d'Or Gigondas, $24, ** 2009 Powerful, jammy fruit flavors with a touch of licorice. (Wineberry America, New York) Châau Raspail Gigondas, $32, ** 2009 Sturdy tannins and flavors of sweet dark fruit. (Integrity Wines/A Philippe ChivéSelection, New York) -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 * * james(a)brewingnews.com James.Ellingson(a)StThomas.edu *