Gigondas Cuvée Valbelle

Producer Ch. de Saint Cosme Region Southern Rhône, France Encepagement 80% Grenache 20% Syrah Elevage 15 months aging. 50% new barrels, 50% one year old barrels. Description The Cuvée Valbelle is made and aged separately every year, but is only bottled separately if Louis feels that the quality differential is significant enough to produce a luxury cuvée. There was no bottling in 2000. The Cuvée Valbelle is made from the oldest Grenache vines (80-100 years old) with yields under 20 hectoliters per hectare. After a 50 day maceration with no destemming, the wines were put directly into barrel. They were bottled without fining or filtering. Reviews for 2001 Vintage From the The Wine Advocate, Issue 145 (Feb 2003): "Points: 91-94. The limited cuvee (9,000 bottles) 2001 Gigondas Cuvee Valbelle is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah aged in 100% French oak barrels, of which 30% are new. It is a tannic, voluminous offering with huge texture, great richness, and terrific purity. Revealing Gigondas's tell-tale blackberry and blueberry liqueur notes, along with an enticing minerality and superb definition as well as length, it will be at its finest between 2005-2020. If you have not yet tried the wines of St.-Cosme, you're missing the boat. " © The Wine Advocate From the International Wine Cellar (Jan/Feb 2003): "Score 92-95. (70% old-vines grenache and 30% syrah; 50% in new oak and 50% in once-used barrels) Bright full ruby. Wonderfully complex, floral nose combines pungent spices, crystallized black raspberry, violet, licorice and black pepper. Lush, seamless and compellingly rich wine of great purity. Almost painfully concentrated flavors of blackberry, bitter chocolate and spices. Builds impressively on the back half, finishing with major tannins covered with exotically ripe fruit flavors and Valrhona chocolate. Barruol plans to bottle this potentially stunning wine in February." © International Wine Cellar Reviews for 2003 Vintage From the Wine Advocate, #156 (Dec 2004): "Points: 93-95. Produced only in the finest vintages, the 2003 Gigondas Valbelle surpasses the dazzling 1998. A blend of 90% Grenache and 10% Syrah aged 50% in new oak and 50% in 1,2, and 3-year old wood, it represents the essence of the appellation, exhibiting ravishing intensity, full body, a voluptuous texture, amazing concentration as well as purity, and a long, seamless finish that lasts nearly a minute. There is some tannin lurking underneath all the glycerin and fruit, but this is a tour de force, and stands among the potential “wines of the vintage” in Gigondas. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2017." © The Wine Advocate From the International Wine Cellar (Jan/Feb 2006): "Points: 93. Deep violet. Rich, powerful scents of cassis, crème de mure, candied licorice and cherry cola. Deep and folded in on itself, with stunningly concentrated but focused dark berry and plum flavors saturating the palate.  Finishes ripe and long, with great thrust. From 80-year-old Grenache vines." © International Wine Cellar Reviews for 2004 Vintage From the International Wine Cellar (Jan/Feb 2006): "Points: 92-94. Inky violet color. Rich and ripe on the nose, with powerful scents of cassis, blackberry, violet and bitter chocolate. Large-scaled and round, with lush dark berry flavors and a compelling sweetness that builds with air.  Closes on notes of dark berries and mocha. This possesses wonderful extract, and the fruit is pure and focused." © International Wine Cella

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