Lavau Gigondas 2014

Ideally drink now through 2025. Decant for 1 hour prior to drinking

Gigondas, a Southern Rhone appellation close to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, makes wines in very much the same style, with Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre blended to create a balanced, medium-bodied, fresh wine. This Lavau bottling is an excellent example of what Gigondas has to offer. Ripe and fruit forward on the nose, giving raspberry and blackberry pate de fruit aromas that lead into more berry flavors on the palate, with a tinge of floral violet, lavender, and herbal fennel notes throughout.

A fruit forward and medium-bodied wine, this Gigondas would be best paired with game bird, coq au vin, beef stew, or strong cheeses, and could even match with a more heavily spiced Asian dish like lamb curry.

A blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre, this Gigondas is made from old vines planted in nutrient poor, calcareous soils, which leads to later ripening and more power, structure, and complexity in the wine. About half this wine is aged in concrete vats, while the other half is aged in 1-2 years old 450L barrels for 12 months. Lavau, a family run negociant based almost entirely in the Rhone Valley, has over 60 years of experience making wine there, and believes in terroir driven, affordable, and generous wines.