Description
David Givaudan, Côtes du Rhône “La Bête”
I’ve effortlessly written tens of thousands of words promoting some of the greatest wines from the most hallowed terroirs on the planet, but today I’m truly stumped. The truth is, David Givaudan’s “La Bête” speaks for itself. What else is there to say about a wine that drinks like the delicious marriage between a silken Gigondas and an elegant, spice-accented Crozes-Hermitage? Maybe only that it’s also an astounding value, coming in at barely two-thirds the price of any halfway decent bottling from either appellation.
Its humble designation and modest price tag might make it a perfect candidate for popping on a random weeknight, but it’s not some anonymous chugger you forget as soon as you hit the pillow. Sporting a supple medium body, it’s a streamlined blend of polished fruit, dusty earth, and head-spinning spice. More importantly, it remains bright and lifted throughout, a feat that plenty of pricier wines from marquee villages struggle to achieve. Ultimately, this is a bottle that turns a standard post-work meal into a transportive vinous experience. Stock up on this, because I guarantee you’ll find yourself opening it as often as you can!
David Givaudan is a farmer through and through. As a young boy, he’d join his grandfather in the vineyards, and at the tender age of eight became a shepherd. By the time he was just fourteen years old, he knew he wanted to become a winemaker, despite his family having no history in the business. David realized that dream in 2001 when he purchased 20 hectares of vines spread across the Pays d’Oc, Pays de Gard, and AOC Côtes-du-Rhône appellations. For over a decade now, all his vineyards have been certified by the French government for their environmentally respectful work.
The Givaudan estate occupies a bit of no-man’s land in the southern Rhône, a space just west of Tavel mostly covered by the broad Côtes du Rhône designation. But David, being a farmer, wasn’t after name recognition when he founded the estate. He was on the hunt for terroir. The parcels he acquired were chosen for their soils and the features imbued in the wines; David’s goal was to provide a wide-sweeping mosaic of dirt from which to make the most balanced blends possible. Clay soils give him deeply colored wines with booming aromatics. Limestone brings lightness and floral high tones, and sandy soils produce finely grained tannic structure. And of course, this being the southern Rhône, there is the mistral, the mythic wind blowing across the vines almost constantly throughout the growing season and imbuing the resultant wines with dynamic freshness. “La Bête” comes from a combination of David’s clay and limestone parcels, the perfect combination of resonant power and fleet-footed drinkability.
David Givaudan’s 2020 “La Bête” is a seamless 50/50 blend of Grenache and Syrah, and an object lesson in pop and pour pleasure. Give it a few minutes in the fridge to bring it down to 60 degrees and serve in Bordeaux stems, and you’ll immediately be drawn in by the dazzling aromatics. Lush red plums, Morello cherry preserves, and boysenberries lead the way, backed by classic Syrah notes of blueberries, cracked pepper, violets, olives, and roasted meat. The palate is a touch beyond medium-bodied but plush, leaning further into Crozes-like black and blue fruits and rumbling spice. It wicks off the palate fresh and clean, begging for another sip. This is a wine about satisfaction above all else, without sacrificing any complexity, and I honestly have trouble wrapping my head around how such an attractively priced bottle is such a slam dunk. But I’ll take it, and you’ll be happy you did too!
