Famille Perrin Gigondas Rouge La Gille - 2023

A wine from terroirs of limestone and chalky marl with a high proportion of safres and sand that give the Grenache unique elegance and aromatic finesse.

2023 was a year full of contrasts, which required great composure and experience to deal with the climatic hazards. The winter was mild followed by a wet spring then a summer oscillating between hailstorms and drought, before a complicated harvest period, between August 17 and September 20. A permanent risk of rain and unpredictable weather forecasts required us to constantly adapt our plans in order to harvest our grapes, of good quality and well concentrated in sugars, at their optimal phenolic maturity. At the end of the harvest, the meticulous work was more than rewarded: this very unusual vintage proved to be very promising, perfectly well balanced across all quality indicators. In the cellar, we are pleasantly surprised by the freshness of the whites. The terroirs resisted drought and offer magnificent balance. Low temperature fermentations helped preserve the aromatics. The reds required long macerations in order to extract all the essence of the vintage. The wines from the lowlands are crisp and delicate, the wines from the hills stand out for their density and the radiance brought by the granite. The aging period has now started, the wines will improve and the textures will slowly become more complex in the cellar.

The vineyards of Gigondas are split into two distinct areas: the plain and the Dentelles, with the finest terroir to be found just between the two. It is there, mid slope, that the vines that produce this wine grow, caressed by a current of cool air rising from the valley to the west of the village. It is one of the most historic vineyard areas in Gigondas.

Limestone, chalky marl, clay, and sedimentary sand known as safres. The vines are grown on north-west facing hillsides, and in certain old parcels of Grenache planted in sand there are pre-phylloxera vine-stocks. This magnificent terroir provides the excellent permeability that gives unique finesse and elegance to mature Grenache, as well as superb freshness.

After being picked by hand, the grapes are sorted, crushed, and vatted in the cellar. The maceration period is long in order to soften and mellow the tannins. The result is a wine of tremendous delicacy that emphasizes the finesse of the Grenache. It is the key variety of this wine, which is of exceptional elegance, and the decision to assign Syrah to a supporting role, even taking into account colour and structure, was a conscious one. Extraction by manual cap punching. After malolactic fermentation and blending, short vinification with ageing in foudres or conical wooden vats for one year.