Château de St-Cosme Gigondas: Tasting the single-vineyard bottlings

‘If someone drinks a bottle of Château Haut-Brion 2017 now,’ says Louis Barruol of Château de St-Cosme, ‘everyone would say, “listen buddy, if you wait 15 years you’ll get much more emotion than you’re getting from it now”. But in regions that are still establishing themselves such as ours, relatively few people have the knowledge to say “hang on – that great Gigondas shouldn’t be drunk yet.”‘

I recently met with Barruol at his ancient estate in the village of Gigondas to taste a vertical of his highly sought-after single-vineyard wines, and it demonstrated that the greatest Gigondas wines do indeed need a decade or more to show their best. And when they hit peak form, they are thrillingly delicious.

Not every Gigondas vigneron makes wine for long ageing, but Barruol is convinced that exceptional terroirs take time to fully reveal their greatness once in bottle. Confident in his vineyards, he makes wines with this in mind.

See all wines 37 from this vertical tasting

Old vines, massal selection and low yields all feed into this approach. Crucially for Barruol, he never destems any of his reds, which he believes contributes texture, freshness and complexity. They give a wine ‘a particular architecture,’ he says, that supports a wine’s development.

His choices in the cellar are also taken with longevity in mind. He typically ages his single-vineyard Gigondas cuvées in French oak for 12 months: 20% new, 50% one-year-old, and 30% two-year-old barriques. Ageing methods around Gigondas are diverse, but few producers use such a high proportion of new or nearly-new barriques.

This makes for a style of wine that not all critics agree on. When young, they are highly concentrated, tannic wines with significant oak influence. Barruol is unapologetic and has no intention to move towards more neutral containers. He insists that after trialling every other vessel and combination imaginable, this method is the most successful. ‘I stick to what expresses my terroir at its best,’ he says, demonstrating no interest in slavishly following consumer trends.

My experience is that the oak, while assertive, tends to be well-integrated, and although it does give a marked aromatic influence when the wine is young, this reduces over time and only rarely dominates the wine at maturity. Moreover, these wines have so many other qualities that deserve greater focus which become clearer as the wines develop, such as their personality, complexity and textural detail.

The single-vineyard wines typically start to drink well after eight years, a little longer in great vintages such as 2010 and 2016. But 12 years would be a better rule of thumb, as they gain complexity and continue to develop for around 20 years or more. His blended, untitled Gigondas is ready earlier, but don’t underestimate its potential to age.

This tasting gave a variety of subtly different perspectives on each cuvée’s unique profile. These are wines with strong characters that remain true from year-to-year, but also candidly depict the character of each passing vintage. But try not to open them until they’re ready.

Typical production and style of Château de St-Cosme Gigondas cuvées

Château de St-Cosme Gigondas

Currently 70% Grenache, 14% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, 1% Cinsault planted on marl and Miocene sand. No destemming. Co-fermentation of 25 parcels from around the domaine.

12 months maturation: French oak barriques (20% new, 50% 1 to 4-year-old) and 30% in concrete tanks. Unfiltered.

A medium- to full-bodied quintessential Gigondas, broad, gently saline, often with a violet back note.

Château de St-Cosme Gigondas ‘Valbelle’

90% Grenache, 10% Syrah. Vines with an average age of 80 years planted on Miocene marl and sand, blend of different parcels. No destemming.

12 months maturation in French oak barriques: 20% new, 50% 1-year-old, 30% 2-year-old. Unfiltered.

16 vintages produced, final vintage 2015 – now discontinued.

Vinous, powerful and resonant style of Gigondas, structured and tannic.

Château de St-Cosme Gigondas ‘Hominis Fides’

Grenache planted in 1902 on Miocene calcareous sand. Single vineyard. No destemming.

12 months maturation in French oak barriques: 20% new, 50% 1-year-old, 30% 2-year-old. Unfiltered.

Frequently the best wine of the vintage, Hominis Fides is a cuvée of great finesse, beautifully perfumed and increasingly red-fruited with age.

Château de St-Cosme Gigondas ‘Le Claux’

Grenache planted in 1880 on Miocene marls planted on the Font des Papes alluvial fan. Single vineyard. No destemming.

12 months maturation in French oak barriques: 20% new, 50% 1-year-old, 30% 2-year-old. Unfiltered.

Opulent, spicy, proudly classic style of Gigondas often with a smoky side to its aromatic profile.

Château de St-Cosme Gigondas ‘Le Poste’

Grenache planted in 1964 on Tortonian limestone marl hillsides near the St-Cosme chapel. Single vineyard. No destemming.

12 months maturation in French oak barriques: 20% new, 50% 1-year-old, 30% 2-year-old. Unfiltered.

Very deep yet elegant black-fruited style with a floral side, particularly densely structured and muscular.

Top 10 Château de St-Cosme Gigondas:

The following wines scored 96 points and above

See all 37 wines from this vertical tasting

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