Description
40% Grenache Blanc, 20% Clairette, 15% Ugni Blanc, 15% Bourboulenc, 5% Picpoul, 5% Viognier growing on north-facing limestone plots.
It’s fascinating to taste this wine and think about the grapes which make it. One can pick out the richness of Grenache Blanc, the acidity of the Clairette, and the apricot of the Viognier. Each seems to have its solo moment as the wine plays across the palate – but it is the interplay between their characters which makes this blend more than the sum of its parts. I love these Rhone whites at this time of year. Don’t serve it fridge cold, let it warm up a little, to emphasise its texture and richness, when it will show brilliantly alongside roast squash with chili and cumin, or white meats like roast pork, perhaps with fennel.
The 2022 is beautifully fresh and direct.
About the Domaine
The Gras family have been making wine in Gigondas since at least the 1870s, today the winery is still on the same site. The modern era here really begins in 1985 when Yves took over his family domaine. His first move was to begin the conversion to organic viticulture, one of the earliest domaines in the village to do so. Yves understood that this was the best way to emphasise his beloved terroir and let it speak clearly. He gained plaudits internationally for his wines which, in the words of Robert Parker, “combined the muscle, richness and fire of a classic Gigondas with a degree of elegance and purity that many wines of this appellation lack.” Yves son Benjamin joined the domaine and is now very much driving things forward, he has been responsible for the conversion to biodynamics and the further emphasis on single vineyard wines. like his father he believes in minimal intervention, low yields, old vines and working with precision and vigour.
The wines have never been better, from the everyday wine Les Plans to the single site Chateauneuf and Gigondas, every bottle delivers quality and excitement, pure fruit and depth.
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