Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas 2017

Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas 2017 Optimal consumption period: 2020-2030 Manufacturer: Château de Saint Cosme – PDO Gigondas, Southern Ron Oenist-owner: Louis Barruol Variety: 70% Grenacheh, 15% M , 1% Cinsault Color: dark red, almost black Smell: strawberries, violets, licorice and pepper Taste: full of character, strong and elegant, with full body, creamy texture, long finish and very fragrant Recom: sheep, lamb, rabbit, veal with mushrooms, pigeon, tempura of vegetables and quinoa Alcohol: 15.5% Serving temperature 15-18 ° C Graps grown organically and fermented unpeeled. Matured 12 months – 20% in new barrels, 50% in 1-4 year old barrels and 30% in concrete tanks. bottle without being filtered. Description of Louis Barruol: “Miocene limestone and sand marl. Being a winemaker means looking for and perfecting ways to permanently maximize the sense of place in your wines. Each place creates a kind of “technical path”. Every decision of the winemaker is like a crossroads and each of us can take it in the right direction or in the wrong direction. There are no shortcuts and, generally speaking, it is difficult to change anything. Therefore, finding the right path for a particular place means looking for the specific “solution”, as in a puzzle. The “solution” is what allows the “terroir” to express itself in complete freedom. This is the only scenario in which a wine can find its individuality, vibration, consistency and internal logic that it expresses throughout its life. Because wine is not a snapshot, but a feature film. So, when evaluating a wine, it’s good to see the whole movie, not just a few snapshots from the first five minutes. Strawberries, violets, licorice, pepper. bottle without being filtered. ” 94 James Suckling points:“ Wow. Fantastic aromas of black plums, berries, chocolate and cocoa, but also of ripe red and black cherries. The complexity and depth are amazing. On the palate, a lot of flavors and details. A wine with a full quiver. ” 92 + Parker Points:“ Full of notes of black olives and black cherries, Gigondas 2017 has a full body and is rich and velvety in the mouth. I’m not sure it’s as good as the one from 2018, but it’s definitely a great achievement, with a long, silky finish, with a hint of cocoa. ” 93 Wine Spectator Points 2016 Edition – 93 Parker Points : “Even better than the one I drank from the barrel, Gigondas 2016 has hints of mocha coffee and ripe raspberries. The slightly bitter herbaceous notes balance the sweetness of the fruit and give a component of aromatic herbs to this wine with full body and creamy texture. The end is slender and long, full of character and richness. ” 93 James Suckling points:“ Impressive, with aromas of black spices, black fruits, graphite, coal smoke and stony black minerals. On the palate, the tannins have a superb clarity and an incredibly rich structure of black fruits. Power and elegance. A superb wine. From organically grown grapes. ” Edition 2015 – Description by Louis Barruol:“ You can never have too much of a good thing – this is the proverb that summarizes the 2015 harvest year. Gigondas 2015 is reminiscent of 2010 in density, depth , velvety and saline freshness. It offers an unusual interpretation of Grenache, difficult to compare with those from the surrounding vineyards. Its character can be attributed to the calcareous soil of the appellation. And Saint Cosme is an unusual interpretation of the Gigondas, because the soils are clearly Totonian and non-existent in other parts of the appellation. This unique soil combiness with a cold microclimate found at altitudes of 400 m above sea level, while our vineyards are at 240 m altitude. This combinestion of natural factors makes Saint Cosme unique, and Grenache develops a personality that can be disconcerting, as well as the dominant freshness – a characteristic rarely associated with this variety. The calves are oriented to the west and are bathed by the gentle evening sun; in the morning, they are protected by the Dentelles de Montmirail rocks – these natural features give the wine balance and texture. All these things are even more evident in the great harvest years, as it was in 2015. Therefore, excellence serves an educational purpose. Strawberries, violets, iodine and licorice. ” – 95 Points Wine Spectator:“ A book-like edition of the muscular part of the Gigondas, the wine offers a surprising line of bass under the layers of blackcurrants and figs, over time what abundant aromas of tobacco, rosemary and laurel creep in everywhere. Muscular and energetic, it’s made to sit in the basement. It will be the best between 2019-2030. ” *** Robert Parker:“ Louis Barruol has been at its peak since the late 1990s, and in recent years has been making some of the best wines in southern Ron and, at the same time, from France. ” Louis Barruol, the one whom Wine Spectator calls“ The Genius of the Gigondas ”, produces the reference wines of the small but spectacular South Rhine appellation. Winemaker and oenologist of the Château de Saint Cosme, an estate owned by his family for 15 generations, he continues the tradition taken from his father Henri in 1992. In addition to wines made from his own vineyards and labeled under the brand “Château de Saint Cosme”, Louis it also produces a range of dealer wines, from grapes bought from well-known winemakers in the North Rhine and labeled “Saint Cosme”. Grapes from several extraordinary plots allow it to produce small but remarkable volumes of Côte-Rôtie, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage or Condrieu. Since 2014, he has been cultivating Whitegrapes in via Saint Martin, the “Principauté d’Orange” appellation, and the wines are bottle under the “Domaine de Saint Cosme” brand. In the meantime, he has fulfilled his most ambitious dream, that of raising a vineyard from scratch. For this, he crossed the ocean and, together with two American friends, founded Forge Cellars, which quickly became one of the most contested vineyards in Fingers Lake, New York. The Riesling produced here has been appreciated by critics since the first edition, in 2011, and Pinot Noir is getting better every year. His winemaking techniques – the use of unpeeled grapes and wood for winemaking and maturation – were almost unknown in the Finger Lakes and sparked heated debate. Louis Barruol has a remarkable collection of prestigious awards and scores. Rewarded several times with 100 Parker Points, in 2017 he achieved a rare performance, occupying two positions in the Top 100 of Wine Spectator: 5th place with Gigondas 2015 and 31st place with Forge Cellars Classique Riesling 2015. Located in the heart of the appeal Gigondas in the south of the Rhône, Château de Saint Cosme is an impressive estate, with a unique story, because on it is preserved intact a Gallo-Roman winemaking site, consisting of fermentation vats dug directly into the rock. The fantastic historical load of the place is a living lesson about the Gallo-Roman way of life. + years and a low yield. The terroir of Saint-Cosme is a true geological mosaic due to the dislocations that led to the formation of the monumental rock chain called Les Dentelles de Montmirail. Saint Cosme is located exactly where two geological faults intersect – another rarity in the field, responsible for the cold microclimate that causes the grapes to ripen late. From here, the balance, freshness and extraordinary finesse of the wines. The Chapel of Saint Cosme, the heart of the property, is a jewel of Roman architecture. Built between the 11th and 12th centuries, it renders the whole purity of Roman art: sobriety, simple lines, balanced volumes. Its imposing silhouette spreads peace and light over the vineyards that surround it. Generation after generation, the Barruol family has been totally dedicated to the field. Today, the wines made by Louis Barroul manage to perfectly express the extraordinary potential of the terroir and the antiquity of the vineyards. He makes the most of the science and mastery of his ancestors, his biological culture and his understanding of the terroir. In fact, in the vineyards of Saint Cosme pesticides were used only once, for two years, between 1970-1972. The practice ceased when Louis’s father found that no more birds were flying over the field … Here is the more recent story, in Louis’ words: “In 1972, Henri Barruol, my father, was already convinced that the importance of organic viticulture, which he practiced out of respect for our vineyards, to produce real wines and to protect the ecosystem of the Saint Cosme Valley. He was not driven by any mercantile thought, for he sold the wine to the merchants with the barrel. I continue his work. They do not use herbicides, chemical fertilizers, pesticides or synthetic products. The vineyards are dug, so as not to be overgrown with weeds. Our ecosystem is dynamic and balanced, and our land is alive. Based on this experience as a winemaker, I created, in 1997, a business that can be called “Négoce-Vigneron”. The idea came to me after countless pilgrimages through the Ron Valley, when I saw that there were large terroirs that were either little exploited, or unknown or ignored. I liked some places so much that I wanted to try. I wanted to be an old-fashioned merchant, that is, to trade in the attitude of a winegrower. In short, to look for the spirit of terroirs and vines, to work meticulously small productions, to surround myself with winemakers who love their craft, to transport my wine in barrels, so as not to spoil, to try to make something beautiful daily. Usually, at Saint Cosme, the work is done manually. I want to make only wines that express the place from which they are born, the terroir, with purity and precision; wines with personality and balance. I want my wines to be able to age. ” Louis Barruol’s expertise and experience as the best specialist in Gigondas have been translated into a book – GIGONDAS, wines, land, people – which has received the international award for best wine book published in translation, at the World Gourmand Awards 2013. This monumental monograph, over 500 pages, was written in collaboration with four other oenologists.