2015 Gigondas La Gille

A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah, the 2015 Gigondas La Gille Rouge is a classic Gigondas with its spice-laced black raspberry and cherry fruits, dried earth, herbs, and leather. With medium to full-bodied richness, beautifully sweet tannin, and no hard edges, it's a powerful, yet elegant Gigondas that delivers the goods.

Getting back to the current releases, we began with the 2015 Gigondas La Gille. The family now owns 22 hectares in the appellation, producing three wines. The 2015 La Gille is 80% Grenache from sandy soils on the mid-slope below the village. It shows nice floral notes on the nose, medium to full body and ripe cherry fruit, but it also comes across as slightly lacking in mid-palate richness. As I tasted it immediately after Château de Beaucastel's 2016 Hommage a Jacques Perrin Châteauneuf du Pape, I may be underestimating it.

Dark ruby. Ripe blackberry and cherry scents, along with suggestions of allspice, white pepper and succulent herbs. Sappy and broad on the palate, offering bitter cherry and boysenberry flavors that firm up slowly with air. Clings with strong tenacity on the finish, which features building tannins and a strong echo of sweet blue fruit.