2015 Gigondas Le Claux

I loved the 2015 Gigondas Le Claux from barrel (really loved it), and this beauty doesn’t disappoint from bottle. Checking in as 100% Grenache (100% whole clusters and aged in 20% new barrels) from a site located just across the street from the Hominis Fides vineyard, it offers a heavenly bouquet of blackberries, blueberries, camphor, graphite, and licorice. Sensationally concentrated, rich and opulent, with low acidity, gorgeous purity, and a blockbuster finish, it stays light on its feet and graceful. It’s the greatest vintage of this cuvée to date, and you should buy as much as you can. Louis Barruol’s Chateau de Saint Cosme is unquestionably one of the reference point estates in Gigondas, as well as the entire southern Rhône Valley. The estate lies just to the east of the village and covers 25 hectares, with 15 of those in Gigondas. He makes a classic Gigondas as well as four single vine releases from single vineyards located around the estate. The wines are not destemmed and aged mostly in older barrels, with a small portion in new barrels.