2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Grenaches de Pierre, Domaine Giraud, Rhône

2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Grenaches de Pierre, Domaine Giraud, Rhône

Product: 20108212999
 
2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Grenaches de Pierre, Domaine Giraud, Rhône

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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Description

From the sandy soil adjacent to Rayas in the Grand Pierre lieu-dit, this is a stunning cuvée, rich and forward on one level and yet profound and wonderfully feminine on another. With time the aromatics will yield a floral garland of unbridled magnificence.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer, February 2012

With the weighty (in every sense) guidance of Rhône guru Philippe Cambie, Marie Giraud has re-invigorated this property, energising it with a pleasing combination of natural charm, organic viticulture and sensible yields. 2010 has, as Marie advises with pithy precision, ‘plus de buvabilité’ than its immediate predecessor.

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Critics reviews

Wine Advocate98-100/100
While no Chateauneuf du Pape Les Grenaches de Pierre was produced in 2009, the 2010 is spectacular. Its dense black/purple color is hard to believe given the fact it is 100% Grenache aged entirely in concrete. Deep, full-bodied and unctuously textured, it boasts off-the-charts richness as well as potential complexity. One of the greatest young Chateauneuf du Papes I have ever tasted, it is one of the few 2010s that eclipses what the estate achieved in 2007. The 2010 should turn out to be one of the wines of the vintage. Unfortunately, there are only around 250 cases made each year, perhaps even less in 2010 due to the loss of about 30-40% of the Grenache crop due to poor flowering. If you haven’t discovered Giraud, it’s time to jump on their bandwagon.
(Robert Parker - Wine Advocate #197 Oct 2011) Read more
Robert Parker98-100/100
While no Chateauneuf du Pape Les Grenaches de Pierre was produced in 2009, the 2010 is spectacular. Its dense black/purple color is hard to believe given the fact it is 100% Grenache aged entirely in concrete. Deep, full-bodied and unctuously textured, it boasts off-the-charts richness as well as potential complexity. One of the greatest young Chateauneuf du Papes I have ever tasted, it is one of the few 2010s that eclipses what the estate achieved in 2007. The 2010 should turn out to be one of the wines of the vintage. Unfortunately, there are only around 250 cases made each year, perhaps even less in 2010 due to the loss of about 30-40% of the Grenache crop due to poor flowering. If you haven’t discovered Giraud, it’s time to jump on their bandwagon.
(Robert Parker - Wine Advocate #197 Oct 2011) Read more

About this WINE

Domaine Giraud

Domaine Giraud

Domaine Giraud is new to our list this year. Having espied an impressive progression over the last three years, we feel that the 2009 has progressed even further. Marie Giraud is the talented winemaker and advice from the larger-than-life consultant Monsieur Philippe Cambie has brought the property to the boil. The biodynamic approach to viticulture was more than a match, it seems, for the intense heat of high summer, when moisture was at a premium.

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Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The most celebrated village of the Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the birthplace of the now indispensable French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system – imperfect though it may be. Compared to the Northern Rhône, the vineyards here are relatively flat and often feature the iconic galet pebbles – the precise benefits of which are a source of much debate. Minimum alcohol levels required by the AOC are the highest in France, but at 12.5% it is well below the natural generosity of Grenache, which only achieves its full aromatic potential when it is fully ripe and laden with the resultant high sugars. Syrah and Mourvèdre contribute the other defining elements in the blend, adding pepper, savoury spice and structure to the decadent Grenache. There are a further 10 permitted red grape varieties which can be used to adjust the “seasoning”. Of the five white varieties permitted, it is Grenache Noir’s sibling – predictably perhaps – Grenache Blanc, which dominates, though Roussanne shows a great deal of promise when handled well, notably at Château de Beaucastel.

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Southern Rhône Blend

Southern Rhône Blend

The vast majority of wines from the Southern Rhône are blends. There are 5 main black varieties, although others are used and the most famous wine of the region, Châteauneuf du Pape, can be made from as many as 13 different varieties. Grenache is the most important grape in the southern Rhône - it contributes alcohol, warmth and gentle juicy fruit and is an ideal base wine in the blend. Plantings of Syrah in the southern Rhône have risen dramatically in the last decade and it is an increasingly important component in blends. It rarely attains the heights that it does in the North but adds colour, backbone, tannins and soft ripe fruit to the blend.

The much-maligned Carignan has been on the retreat recently but is still included in many blends - the best old vines can add colour, body and spicy fruits. Cinsault is also backtracking but, if yields are restricted, can produce moderately well-coloured wines adding pleasant-light fruit to red and rosé blends. Finally, Mourvèdre, a grape from Bandol on the Mediterranean coast, has recently become an increasingly significant component of Southern Rhône blends - it often struggles to ripen fully but can add acidity, ripe spicy berry fruits and hints of tobacco to blends.

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