Walls: A tale of two Gallets

No matter how carefully you study a region, sometimes it’s luck, spontaneity or serendipity that leads you to the most exciting discoveries. I was reminded of this during my last visit to Côte-Rôtie.

Les Epicurieux in Ampuis is one of my favourite local places to eat and drink, it’s a wine bar, restaurant and shop all rolled into one. Co-owner Arnaud Boisset always has interesting suggestions, and he brought over a bottle as I was scanning the shelves – a 2022 IGP Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah.

Did I know it? he asked. I didn’t.

Scroll down for notes and scores for 11 Gallet Côte-Rôtie wines

The estate name was Gallet. The word ‘galet‘ in French means ‘stone’ or ‘pebble’, so it’s a common surname, especially in this part of the world. I didn’t recognise the label, so I bought one to try.

I opened it that night. It had the unmistakable smoke and spice of the northern apex of the northern Rhône. Fresh, drinkable and delicious, you couldn’t hope for more from an IGP.

Clearly I needed to taste this domaine’s Côte-Rôtie. Google said the domaine was a 10-minute drive from where I was staying. What luck! I called them and arranged a visit for the next day.

Domaine Gallet

I arrived at Domaine Gallet, high on the plateau above Ampuis, and was greeted by Valérie Gallet. We descended the stone steps underneath her house to taste her wines.

I told her how much I enjoyed her Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah. Did I mean her Vin de France? she asked, and showed me the bottle. No, that’s not it… Then it must have been her Côte-Rôtie, she said, as she only makes two wines. If not, she suggested, perhaps the wine I tasted was from the other Gallet.

That was the moment I realised that I’d made a mistake. I’d come to the wrong estate. Uh-oh.

This is a common occupational hazard in France. In the southern Rhône, you’re told that Usseglio makes great wines – but is it Pierre Usseglio or Raymond Usseglio? In the northern Rhône, if you’re looking for wines from Domaine Chave, make sure you stipulate Yann Chave, Natacha Chave or Jean-Louis Chave, as they are all very different. There are many more examples, and I’ve been caught out before.

As she poured the first wine, a potentially awkward moment arose. I knew nothing about these wines, other than the prices – which were relatively cheap. Suspiciously cheap. What if they were dreadful? I’m not very good at feigning enthusiasm. I nervously held out my glass.

The darkness of the wine was the first thing I spotted – over-extraction or concentration? Fortunately, the latter – surprisingly dense for a Vin de France, and although the tannins were a bit unruly, it had vibrancy and energy. That’s a relief, I thought; this is good.

Moving on to her Côte-Rôtie, there was no distracting new oak on the nose, just the essence of the place – traditional, authentic and herbal, but not weedy, not even in a tricky vintage like 2021. The 2022 was richer, more saline, more peppery. I had fallen on my feet.

Valérie says that she’s in charge of winemaking and cellar work, while her brother works the vines – 4ha of 50-year-old vines in the enviable lieux-dits Chavaroche, Lancement and Le Combard.

It turns out that Domaine Gallet was founded in 1807 and has been bottling for 40 years, she says they are the ‘original’ Gallet. I hadn’t come across them before as they don’t export to the UK – a situation that might soon change.

The other Gallet family are distant cousins and had just started bottling, which is why they barely featured online. But I was determined to track them down…

Famille Gallet

A closer look at the empty bottle of IGP Syrah that I bought from Les Epicurieux revealed the name Frédéric Gallet. A bit of online research suggested a phone number; I organised a visit the following day.

The story here is very different. Frédéric Gallet grew up in Ampuis, and as a young man he played a lot of sport. He was about to join the army, but in 1996 a serious skiing accident dashed his dreams.

During school holidays he used to work in the vines at nearby Domaine Stéphane Ogier, so with no other employment prospects he decided to get a job in a winery. Ogier only made reds at that time, and Gallet wanted to make whites too – so, despite having no wine qualifications or training, Gallet wrote to Yves Cuilleron in search of a job.

Cuilleron had no vacancies, so passed on Gallet’s letter to François Villard. Villard hired Gallet in 1998 – his first ever employee.

‘I learnt on the job,’ says Gallet. ‘I learnt a lot with François, particularly in the cellar – he’s a great taster… I have to thank François for that.’

Eventually, Gallet worked his way up to vineyard manager, then cellar manager – positions he later held at Domaine Stéphane Ogier too. During that time, he bought vineyards himself, and also rented some from his father-in-law. He sold the grapes to Villard, Ogier, E Guigal and Domaine Graeme & Julie Bott.

If you’ve tried François Villard’s Côte-Rôtie Le Gallet Blanc, then you might have unknowingly already tasted Frédéric Gallet’s work. This cuvée is made from grapes that Villard purchased from Gallet – hence the name. For a while, as cellar manager, Gallet not only supplied the grapes but he also made the wine!

So in striking out alone, ‘I’m not risking anything,’ says Gallet, ‘because I already know it’s good.’

To begin with, Gallet is only bottling 1ha of the 4.5ha he farms, amounting to 6,000 bottles. In addition to his IGP Syrah, he also makes an IGP Viognier and two Côte-Rôties – a blend called Trio de Brunes and a single-vineyard wine.

He has three parcels in Côte-Rôtie: Côte Bodin, La Brocade and Fongeant. For his first vintage (2022) he bottled a pure Côte Bodin; in 2023, it might be La Brocade.

Two with one stone

I was lucky enough to be the first person to taste his 2023s. I can confirm his La Brocade promises to be very special indeed – likely to be up there with the best of the appellation – so I do hope he bottles it separately. But with only 500 bottles produced, you’ll have to visit Ampuis to get your hands on one.

Gallet is in his 50s, and is planning on retiring soon; a life on these slopes is physically demanding. But in time, his 20-year-old son Maxence Gallet plans to take over.

I’m told another cousin, Damien Gallet, is planning to start his own domaine. So that will be a third Gallet making wine in Ampuis.

In the end, I got two excellent Gallets for the price of one.

The moral of the story? Leave no stone unturned.

11 Gallet wines to explore:

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