Châteauneuf-du-Pape is one of the most recognizable brands in wine. Made famous by French popes in the 14th century, and then again by Robert Parker in the 1980s, the appellation’s place on the winemaking map is well established. For decades the wine from Châteauneuf was head and shoulders above the rest of the Southern Rhône – but these days it’s got company.
There’s loads of great wine coming from the Southern Rhône these days, but no star is brighter than Gigondas. The Chastan family has been making wine in the same style for a hundred years. They were among the earliest in the region to farm organically (they were certified in 1980!), and their winemaking is simple and straightforward. Vinification for all the wines is cement vats, followed by an elevage in either vats or neutral oak foudres. The wines are all whole-cluster, and neither fined nor filtered.
We’ve just restocked on their 2020 Gigondas, a wine that has gone from delicious to extraordinary over the last five years in the bottle. It is silky smooth and rich, with dense, sweet fruit and notes of allspice. Though velvety and rich, there is good underlying structure and a bit of earthiness in the finish. A dose of salinity balances the lush fruit, and the finish goes on forever without an ounce of heaviness. This would blow away many a Châteauneuf-du-Pape in a blind tasting, and given its sub-$50 price we think it’s also a steal.
____________________________
Joncuas Gigondas 2020
bottle price: $49
