The wine’s appearance is clear, with medium color intensity ruby color, and lightly ruby stained tears.
The wine was clean, medium (-) intensity aroma. Aroma characteristics were primarily red cherry and strawberry, black pepper, clove, and bread. This wine was still developing when tasted in September 2019.
On the palate, the wine was dry, medium (+) acidity, medium tannins, medium (+) alcohol, medium body, medium flavor intensity, and a medium (+) finish.
The quality level is good, you can drink it now but it has the potential for aging.
This was an easy-drinking wine, just right for a warm September evening and a grilled pork chop. It disappeared after 2 hours, so we’ve no report on how this wine faired over a period of a couple of days after opening.
Why does this Gigondas taste like this?
The Gigondas AOC is just north and west of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the sunny Southern Rhone Valley. Gigondas is also very close to the beautiful Dentelles de Montmirail mountains. Around 99% of the grapes grown in Gigondas are red. Wines are primarily a blend of Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre grapes. These grapes are exposed during the day to sunny, hot conditions then cool down at night when the cool air from the mountains descends to the vineyards in the valley.
The aromas and flavors, as well as medium-high acidity, medium-high alcohol and lighter-than-expected mouthfeel result from a combination of the grape varieties (80% Grenache and 20% Syrah), the hot Mediterranean climate in combination with the cooling effects of the Dentelles, a terraced vineyard with a north-west aspect, and ageing in neutral foudres or barriques. These neutral vessels impart very little if any oak aromas to the wine.
If you like the flavors of Grenache and cool climate New World Pinot Noir, you might like wines like this. If you find most wines from Chateauneuf-du-Pape to be too strong or robust, you may like wine like this.
Famille Perrin La Gille Gigondas Food Pairing
The wine’s medium-high acidity, medium to high alcohol and lighter mouthfeel makes it fairly flexible for pairing.
Classically, Gigondas wines are paired with hearty stews and lamb. However when the blend is primarily Grenache, many will find too hearty of dishes overwhelming the wine. The fruitiness and lighter mouthfeel of this particular wine might pair better with roast chicken and mashed potatoes or potato salad. This would be a good picnic wine to serve slightly chilled with grilled bratwurst. Or served with a brunch with turkey sausage and hashed browns. Staying with that theme, it would be a good wine for a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner.
Some people don’t like the taste of aged Grenache since it is prized for its bright cherry aromas and flavor and made to be consumed within a few years of release. The wine can turn dark after about a decade - an almost brown color that might be off-putting to some.
If you are serving Gigondas with a higher alcohol % - over 13.5%, some people may find the alcohol level to be too high for spicy food pairings. Grenache can also be unpleasant with simple green vegetables like broccoli. Imagine your favorite dark green steamed vegetable and putting cherries with it - if it does not sound good to you, this wine might not be a good pairing with that green vegetable.
Where to Purchase Perrin La Gille Gigondas
We purchased this wine at Chapel Hill Hyatt Place for a teambuilding event. So, if you are staying at a Hyatt Place you may find it by the bottle.
Otherwise, this wine is fairly well distributed in the United States. Check with your local bottle shop.
Also, if you’re interested in other wines from this region, check out our guide to the Rhone, its region of origin.