2006 Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Cuvée Valbelle

Inky purple. Peppery, intensely perfumed aromas of blackberry, kirsch, potpourri and graphite; the tiny syrah component is obvious today. Energetic dark berry flavors are given spine by tangy minerals and gain sweetness with air. Very young but there's great potential here. Finishes sweet and precise.

The 2006 Gigondas Valbelle stylistically represents a transition between the masculine Le Claux and the more feminine Le Poste. Dense ruby/purple with fabulous ripeness, great fruit purity, plenty of boysenberry, blackberry, and cherry notes intermixed with licorice, smoke, and meat juices, the wine is full-bodied, opulent, with good underlying acidity and a terrific finish. It should drink well for 15 or more years. The brilliant young Louis Barruol continues to augment his impressive negociant line of wines from the northern Rhone as well as his handful of southern Rhones (see my reviews of his Cotes du Rhones and Chateauneuf du Papes in Issue 173), while also concentrating on the fabulous estate wines from Gigondas, among the best two or three wines of the appellation. Barruol represents all that is good that is happening in France and other countries – a young man taking over for his parents and revolutionizing what was being done, cutting yields, cleaning up the cellars, and looking at how to make the most expressive wines possible from not only Gigondas, but from purchased fruit and wine. He loves Chateauneuf du Pape, and I hope one day he is able to earn enough money to buy a vineyard there. He is certainly a skilled winemaker. As for his northern Rhones, he consistently does a fabulous job with Cote Rotie. Using 100% stems, he gets none of the vegetal character that can come from stem use. As Barruol says, the 2006s are wines of great charm, seductiveness, and beautiful fruit, with freshness and vibrancy, whereas 2005 represents density, structure, tannin, and a certain austerity. To Barruol’s credit, I taste through 60-70 domaines in Gigondas, and his wines, along with Yves Gras’ at Santa Duc, were among the finest. Importer: A Patrick Lesec Selection; Vintage '59, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 966-9218

Deep ruby. Intensely perfumed scents of spicy cherry, cassis, dried flowers and minerals; smells like a lot of syrah is in here but there's only 10%. Deep bitter cherry and blackcurrant flavors are complemented by cracked pepper and framed by youthful tannins. Finishes with striking sweetness, depth and grip. Very impressive.