Description
Domaine du Gour de Chaulé, Gigondas “Tradition”
Our exhaustive tastings of Southern Rhône reds have produced an immutable truth: Châteauneuf-du-Pape may command the highest prices and enjoy the greatest name recognition, but the top wines of Gigondas deliver the same level of quality and intrigue at lower prices. A name to include in that elite-tier list is Domaine du Gour de Chaulé—they’ve got the history, they’ve got the terroir, and as today’s wine proves unequivocally, they’ve got the goods.
Three generations of female owner-farmer-winemakers have guided this landmark estate since 1900, and there are truly very few others in the region with their track record of producing perfumed, profound, old-vine Grenache. So much of what we taste from the Southern Rhône is ink-black, syrupy, and undoubtedly “showy,” which stands in stark contrast to the silky, succulent, slightly wild slice of the Mediterranean red in front of you now. I’ll be blunt: This is an epic, age-worthy benchmark that would cost at least twice as much if neighboring “Châteauneuf-du-Pape” was on the label. The smart money is on Gigondas!
In addition to being classically delicious and surprisingly affordable, Gour de Chaulé’s Gigondas has an epic backstory: Founded in 1900 by Eugene Bonfils (great-grandfather of the current proprietor, Stéphanie Fumoso), the estate sold bulk wine to négociants until 1970, Rolande Beaumet, Eugene’s daughter, took the helm and began bottling some wine for private clients. The torch was passed to Aline Bonfils in the 1980s and now it is Aline’s daughter, Stéphanie, running the show. The family organically farms 10 hectares of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, and Cinsault, with vine age averaging 65 years old. All fruit is harvested by hand and fermented in whole clusters (an increasingly rare practice in this region).
Stéphanie ferments the wines in tank before racking into neutral French oak foudres for 24 months of maturation. The wine is then transferred back into tank for an additional year-plus of integration before bottling. There is no new oak, filtering, or fining at Gour de Chaulé. They keep it old school! The cépage (blend) is approximately 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre, and its combination of high-toned aromatics, energy, and silken texture always wins the day on our tasting table.
The result of their traditional approach is a Gigondas of incomparable terroir character, seductive fruit, and lively energy. The first glass overflows with chewy, meaty red and black fruit, rustic but perfectly integrated tannins, and a warm gust of wild herbs and dried flowers. It’s a perfect snapshot of the Gigondas terroir, and a deeply satisfying expression of the Southern Rhône. Decant it for 30 minutes and serve in large Bordeaux stems alongside a slow-roasted pork shoulder, boiled and buttered potatoes, and a spring salad dressed with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Slowly savoring this 2019 alongside this kind of spread is like vacationing in Southern France for a few hours. Further, anyone with a little room left in their budget should also reserve a handful of bottles for the cellar. Another 5+ years of evolution is hardly out of the question. Enjoy!
