This Cuvée will have very little to envy Châteauneuf-du-Pape ! At present, the quality of tannins makes a difference : they are nicely austere…
The vintage

A Vintage shaped for Grenache, in the first place. Intense, engaging, deep colors… Bright fruit, striking structures, with a singular quality of the tannin... And the more unreal, as this is the most unlikely feature in this table, the pH… pH which is astonishingly low...
All in all, 2016 solves the problem of squaring the circle in the world of wine ! Wines which are “easy”, absolutely delicious to drink young, fresh, yet with a structure, a fleshiness, a balance, which promise them an unprecedented destiny…

Terroir

Plateau de Mont Redon, les Bédines, la Crau, Cabrières

Ageing

12 months in one and two vintages old barrels. Allier and Tronçais. Then 12 months in foudre.

Vinification

2/3 non distemmed.

Tasting

This Cuvée will have very little to envy Châteauneuf-du-Pape ! At present, the quality of tannins makes a difference : they are nicely austere…

Alcohol content

14,5%

Bottling

Without fining and filtration.

Cépages

Grenache : 80 %
Mourvèdre : 10 %
Syrah : 10 %

Great depth and freshness here. Spicy oak adds modern appeal to rich, dark fruit and plush, sweeping tannins. Long and polished. Terrific wine. Drink or hold.

James Suckling , 93/100 , 2018-08-29

The 2016 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes is another ripe, concentrated, modern styled effort that has loads to love. Black raspberries, garrigue and violets notes all emerge from this solid effort that has full-bodied power, moderate acidity, ripe tannin and a great finish.

JebDunnuck , 90-92/100 , 2017-10-19

Mid crimson. Too concentrated to have much aroma at present although one can tell how ripe the grapes were. Massively Grenachoid with a spread of spices and herbs across the palate. There is southern Rhône history here. Real soul. You want to speed up its evolution to see what it will eventually deliver … Very impressive if embryonic.

Jancis Robinson , 17,5/20 , 2017-12-01

The 2016 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes is a bit tighter and firmer than the Vacqueyras at this point, more age-worthy perhaps but not necessarily more pleasurable. A blend of 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre, it offers hints of garrigue layered over black cherries, ending on a bright, crisp note.

Wine Advocate , 90-92/100 , 2018-08-31

This offers sassafras, anise and mesquite aromas, backed by gently mulled plum and raspberry fruit flavors. Black tea, cinnamon and incense details line the finish. A bit atypical, with a perfumy wood spice persona, but still appealing. Best from 2020 through 2027

James Molesworth
Wine Spectator , 93/100 , 2019-03-27

Lurid ruby. Highly expressive aromas of raspberry, cherry liqueur and candied flowers are complemented by a smoky mineral topnote. Appealingly sweet and silky on the palate, offering intense red fruit preserve flavors that deepen and spread out steadily with air. Shows candied licorice and allspice flourishes on an impressively long, sappy finish framed by smooth, slow-building tannins.

Josh Raynolds
Vinous , 92-94/100 , 2018-08-01

Les fruits noirs, le thym et la garrigue amènent une belle fraîcheur aromatique. La trame de tanin est en relief - bien que lesdits tanins soient plus civilisés que dans le vacqueyras par exemple -, mais le potentiel est là. L'allonge de bouche est délicate.

La Revue du Vin de France