2019 Compagnie de l’Hermitage Gigondas
– From a Top Gigondas Terroir
– Extra Age Brings it That Silky Texture
– A Rich Wine with Real Material
– A Throwback Wine like Trollat
– 600 Bottles Made, 100 Left
– Drinks like Rayas if Rayas Were Made in Gigondas
– If You’ve Had the Heavenly Raspail-Ay (Super Inside Wine), You Need to Try This
– Old Vine Grenache – up to 50 Years Old
– Nose: Brilliantly Complex
– Classic Kirsch
– Amazing Spice
– Granite, Clay
– Precisely-Defined Grenache Aromas
– Elemental Mineral
– Raspberry Coulis
– Big Cherry Fruit- Huge Stones
– Wonderful Aromatic Precision
– Palate – Amazing Precision and Depth
– Startlingly Pure
– Sweet and Deep Fruit
– Wonderful Purity and Freshness
– Stunning Balance
The Triumph of The Greek’s High Scoring Chateaneuf-du-Pape
Many of you adore the cult and Fass Selections exclusive and brilliant Chateaneuf-du-Pape Lieu dit Pignan from the Greek aka Georges Leleksoglou. Below are its scores from 16/17/19/20 from Jen Dunnuck.
2016 – 96
2017 – 97
2019 – 99
2020 – 97
The Wine
Today I am selling the second vintage of a new cuvee from the Greek, aka Georges Leleksoglou. The 2019 Compagnie de l’Hermitage Gigondas for $44.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. Simply put this is transcendent Gigondas that is the perfect complement to the Chateaneuf-du-Pape Lieu dit Pignan. This is a Gigondas that is so deep, yet so ephemeral and pure one cannot believe it comes from the often maligned, hot, sloppy and all over the map Grenache grape. I have found Grenache does well when it’s the only grape in the blend and the two CDP’s and one (now two) Gigondas I sell are pure Grenache. Yes Gigondas has to be pure Grenache I know! But pure Grenache in the correct hands can yield very profound wines. Jeb Dunnuck called the 19 CDP: “It might be the closest thing to an older Rayas (which were more concentrated and opulent than today’s wines).” This is as high a compliment as you can give a Grenache. Now we have the 19 that will complement that brilliant CDP.
- This is from limestone/sandy soils
- It is from a top Gigondas terroir that I need to keep to myself.
- It is an 19 because George decided it needed all that extra age to give it that silky touch only age can bring.
- George made this because it fits his conception of a rich wine with real material and also has an old time feeling. It’s not very common amongst normal Gigondas these days. This is an old school throw back wine. This is polished but also sauvage. It is elegant but not ultra polished like Chateua St. Cosme. That’s why ageing was important to get the finesse with the the right timing and to let the structure to be more obvious.
Here are the specs of of the rare wine and Fass Selections exclusive.
- Only one barrel made / entire production 600 bottles
- It is dominated by old vine Grenache that is up to 50 years old.
- It is raised in concrete tanks to keep the freshness for up to 16 months then went into old barrels
Usually the simplest winemaking recipes yield the most profound wines.
The nose starts out quite closed, but after some coaxing there is kirsch which is so ultra classic and tons of very aromatic and provocative spices. It’s very very stoney. It’s reminded me of Raspail-Ay which is one of my favorite old school Gigondas.’ It has amazing spice. There is also amazing mint that is so clear. What an expansive nose. Just stunning. Really compelling. Then as it gets going it goes into Grenache overdrive. loads of granite, clay, elemental mineral on the nose along with precisely-defined Grenache aromas. Raspberry coulis, huge stones, even mandarin orange, very stoney and complex. Insane spice. Flowers as well. Super aromatic. The aromatic precision is wonderful. So pretty and more importantly nuanced and complex. After air (12-24 hours) it becomes the fruit becomes darker and the nose becomes achingly beautiful with the most clearly defined darker cassis and darker betties I have ever smelled in a Gigondas. Mindblowing aromas and what’s striking is that it didn’t show its best aromatics until 12-23 hours open.
The palate has amazing precision and depth. The balance is insane. So juicy and so pure with amazing velvety tannins. I love the dark swaths of velvety fruit that are so deep one can get lost in them. So gamey and so spicey with a long long profound finish. it has startlingly pure sweet and deep fruit, clean lines, straight as an arrow and with such unbelievable precision. Wonderful purity and freshness with stunning balance. Juicy and crackling. Very fresh. Beautiful tannins. Big raspberry and cherry fruit. Almost cassis. For such a large wine this is quite nimble. This is just so massive and pumps out the fruit and tannins and stones. Just awesome. This is the best 19 Southern Rhone for the money you will get. Drinks like Rayas if Rayas was made in Gigondas. For old school Grenache it’s hard to get better in Gigondas. What a wine. This is a wine that is so good that it will adjust your expectations of how good a Gigondas can be without sacrificing what makes Gigondas special. I strongly urge two types of people to buy this wine.
- George the Greek fanboys who buy all his bottlings
- Lovers of $50 wines that drink like $100 wines.
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your firstorder if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
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