Gigondas

The Terre des Aînés is from the Saurel’s oldest most gnarled vines (80 years old) and is made from 80 percent Grenache and 20 percent Mourvèdre. To the powerful spice and black fruit notes must be added the appeal of very pure and focused tannins and a wonderfully refreshing finish. 
Drink 2017-2020.
Simon Field MW – Wine Buyer

This rich and spicy Gigondas wine is dense, quite tannic in youth and has extremely long finish. Deep in colour and profound in flavour, this is a concentrated and powerful wine to be kept.

From a small but unique plot, shared by 40 year-old Mourvèdre and 80 year-old Grenache, the Confidential 2010 is an outstanding effort, its weight of dense black fruit beautifully complemented by what Christine describes as ‘salinity’, a reference to the pure minerality which underpins the wine’s structure. Wonderfully balanced and almost feminine, despite its power, a word seldom used in this particular appellation!
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer, February 2012

Christine and Eric Saurel own 60 hectares mostly on the Plateau des Garrigues which overlooks the villages of Vacqueyras and Sarrains, all of which they have farmed on biodynamic principles for an incredible 16 years. Blue and monmorate ‘petrus’ clay soils contribute to the astonishing flavours coaxed from these old vines. Christine describes her goals in terms of ‘luminosité’, an intangible and almost ethereal term yet one which seems strangely appropriate and which can only be properly explained by tasting the wines themselves, which are a far cry from traditional styles from these villages.

A stunning old-vine cuve, potent and layered, still developing in new oak (it will benefit from over 20 months in total), this is a Grenache which suggests future indulgence. Deep, dark fruits combine with firm acidity to underpin a structure of Doric ambition.

The (re)building of the eponymous winery, elegant Tourelles in the centre of medieval Gigondas continues apace, but the Perrins are not inclined to rush the project. Their new winery is intended to be every bit as significant as Beaucastel itself and its construction displays prescient recognition of the emerging primacy of the hillside vines of Gigondas. None are better located than theirs – the Grenache is planted on pre-phylloxera sandy soils, while the Syrah and Mourvèdre can be found a little higher up, where adamantine limestone texture underwrites the weave of Grenache’s old-vine silk. A really exciting wine. Drink 2020-2028.
Simon Field MW - Wine Buyer

The Perrins are far from equivocal in outlining their aspirations in the Southern Rhône; they wish to match the undisputed primacy of their Beaucastel estate with hegemony of classic vineyards to demonstrate the best characteristics of the best villages: Voltaire without Pangloss. Nurturing and guiding as appropriate, they have rapidly built up an enviable portfolio which has gone virtually all the way to the realisation of this ambition. Their attention has been focused especially on the villages of Vinsobres and Gigondas, both of which share altitude and aspect to suit the subtly changing climate in the region.

From a small but unique plot, shared by 40-yearold
Mourvèdre and 80-year-old Grenache, the
Confidential 2010 is an outstanding effort, its weight
of dense black fruit beautifully complemented by
what Christine describes as salinity – a reference
to the pure minerality which underpins the wine’s
structure. Wonderfully balanced and almost
feminine, despite its power – a word seldom used in
this particular appellation. Drink 2021-2025.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer