Gour de Chaulé's 2020 Gigondas Cuvée Tradition is a Grenache-dominated (>80%) blend, balanced with roughly equal aliquots of Syrah and Mourvèdre. This particular bottle was Vinturi-decanted and serially tasted over a three-hour interval, significantly benefitting from the first couple of hours in carafe. When fully open, the aromatic profile flaunts a bounty of dark bramble fruits, licorice, Provençal herbs, white pepper, loam and pickling spice. Medium-bodied, fresh, seamlessly alcoholic (14.5%) and with well-woven wood, it delivers flavors mirroring the nose, wrapping them with plentiful silky tannins and retaining good density on the mid-palate. The energetic finish is impressively long. This is a beautifully structured Southern Rhone that should provide lots of pleasure over the next ten or more years. Drink now-2034.
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Nose - it’s been open a few hours. At first there wasn’t much and it was too cold. Yes, I’m drinking it too early but hey….judge elsewhere. I have a second bottle. Ok, a lot of alcohol on nose. You get eye burn. Youthful. Jammy fruits. Cedar. While it’s not totally meshed yet, you do pick up subtle other notes. Olive brine, almonds, Italian spices and herbs, medium plus. Very aromatic.
Palate - it’s a wow of flavor. Acidity is medium plus, body is medium plus, balanced, finish is medium plus, it’s a big juicy wine. Tastes great. Refreshing. Notes of red and black berries. Tannins are medium. Really feel them after you swallow.the nose offers more notes than palate at this point. Alcohol is integrated on palate but you feel it. 14.5 is no joke. Definitely better with food. Slight stemmy bitterness but could also be due to skin.
It’s a lovely wine. Drinking too early but hopefully a bench mark for aging.
Show restraint and at this price point a nice value.
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Drank over two days. This is lovely now. Open inviting nose. Beef fat and smoke on the nose. Ripe fruit with olives and lavender. The lavender being quite prominent. The tannins need food - This is not for drinking on its own. It gave me a headache the next day despite only having a moderate portion. I wish Gigondas had less alcohol. £21 from The Wine Society
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This is exuberant, downright boisterous, really just way too young, the best will come from well stored bottles that make it to age 10+, and honestly I think this vintage might be a 15 to 20+ type...
Super aromatic, there's a dizzying array of fruit, deep bass notes of black fig and baked blueberry, high tones of raspberry liqueur and kirsch, plus myriad spicy and herbal nuances. Full and tense on the palate, deep and powerfully structured, there's fine tannin to spare, and the acidity feels turned up for Gigondas, this is super ripe and it has a bit of heat, but there's admirable balance for such a concentrated and thick style. Long finish has a gorgeous gush of red fruit to accent the dark brooding complex that dominates this wine's personality right now. This needs time to show all its powers, but if you like lashings of super ripe fruit and strident structure, you'll love this now. I quite like it today, but would love to see it mellowed and mature.
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Reynaud Tasting (Freiheit Vinothek, Ulm, Germany): Glass: Spiegelau Universal All wines tasted blind/blind, opened a few hours before and decanted right before the tasting. Clear, deep ruby color (Pirate?) Freaky, very youthful nose. On the palate clearly driven by Grenache, medium acidity, warm fruit, quite elegant, very young, medium length. Needs to be a pirate. 87. Give it a few more years.
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Decant 4 hours. nice flavours of sweat cheery, sap, liquorice bramble stick. Srong flavours, strong tannins, good acidity, ending a bit green. Promise to a good future. Needs five more years. A bit rustic for now. 88
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A study in Rhône Valley garrigue and landscape, a wonderful texture, seductive nose and taste, never heard of it before, but was recommended to my while visiting Mas de Libian in l’ Ardeche.
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3/11/2024 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 94 Points
Gour de Chaulé's 2020 Gigondas Cuvée Tradition is a Grenache-dominated (>80%) blend, balanced with roughly equal aliquots of Syrah and Mourvèdre. This particular bottle was Vinturi-decanted and serially tasted over a three-hour interval, significantly benefitting from the first couple of hours in carafe. When fully open, the aromatic profile flaunts a bounty of dark bramble fruits, licorice, Provençal herbs, white pepper, loam and pickling spice. Medium-bodied, fresh, seamlessly alcoholic (14.5%) and with well-woven wood, it delivers flavors mirroring the nose, wrapping them with plentiful silky tannins and retaining good density on the mid-palate. The energetic finish is impressively long. This is a beautifully structured Southern Rhone that should provide lots of pleasure over the next ten or more years. Drink now-2034.
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3/5/2024 - Ellen5181 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Appearance - clear, medium plus ruby.
Nose - it’s been open a few hours. At first there wasn’t much and it was too cold. Yes, I’m drinking it too early but hey….judge elsewhere. I have a second bottle. Ok, a lot of alcohol on nose. You get eye burn. Youthful. Jammy fruits. Cedar. While it’s not totally meshed yet, you do pick up subtle other notes. Olive brine, almonds, Italian spices and herbs, medium plus. Very aromatic.
Palate - it’s a wow of flavor. Acidity is medium plus, body is medium plus, balanced, finish is medium plus, it’s a big juicy wine. Tastes great. Refreshing. Notes of red and black berries. Tannins are medium. Really feel them after you swallow.the nose offers more notes than palate at this point. Alcohol is integrated on palate but you feel it. 14.5 is no joke. Definitely better with food. Slight stemmy bitterness but could also be due to skin.
It’s a lovely wine. Drinking too early but hopefully a bench mark for aging.
Show restraint and at this price point a nice value.
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1/1/2024 - BrunelloBob wrote:
meh
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11/27/2023 - M.Y. Chong Likes this wine:
Drank over two days.
This is lovely now. Open inviting nose. Beef fat and smoke on the nose.
Ripe fruit with olives and lavender. The lavender being quite prominent.
The tannins need food - This is not for drinking on its own. It gave me a headache the next day despite only having a moderate portion.
I wish Gigondas had less alcohol.
£21 from The Wine Society
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8/12/2023 - maxmanx wrote:
Didn't pay enough attention.
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7/1/2023 - viniferatu wrote:
This is exuberant, downright boisterous, really just way too young, the best will come from well stored bottles that make it to age 10+, and honestly I think this vintage might be a 15 to 20+ type...
Super aromatic, there's a dizzying array of fruit, deep bass notes of black fig and baked blueberry, high tones of raspberry liqueur and kirsch, plus myriad spicy and herbal nuances. Full and tense on the palate, deep and powerfully structured, there's fine tannin to spare, and the acidity feels turned up for Gigondas, this is super ripe and it has a bit of heat, but there's admirable balance for such a concentrated and thick style. Long finish has a gorgeous gush of red fruit to accent the dark brooding complex that dominates this wine's personality right now. This needs time to show all its powers, but if you like lashings of super ripe fruit and strident structure, you'll love this now. I quite like it today, but would love to see it mellowed and mature.
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4/29/2023 - NoTrollingerPlease wrote: 87 Points
Reynaud Tasting (Freiheit Vinothek, Ulm, Germany): Glass: Spiegelau Universal
All wines tasted blind/blind, opened a few hours before and decanted right before the tasting.
Clear, deep ruby color (Pirate?)
Freaky, very youthful nose.
On the palate clearly driven by Grenache, medium acidity, warm fruit, quite elegant, very young, medium length. Needs to be a pirate. 87. Give it a few more years.
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2/21/2023 - Voodoo_Champagne Likes this wine:
Full of berries, served cold plain glou-glou🍷🍷❤️
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1/25/2023 - Voodoo_Champagne Likes this wine:
Still delicious and tasty, reminds me of last summer vacation in this area. Grenache at high level, must taste their best some day.
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12/30/2022 - dead puddle wrote:
Decant 4 hours. nice flavours of sweat cheery, sap, liquorice bramble stick. Srong flavours, strong tannins, good acidity, ending a bit green. Promise to a good future. Needs five more years. A bit rustic for now. 88
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7/11/2022 - Voodoo_Champagne Likes this wine:
A very nice Rhône wine in the hot summer, works with spicy food.
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7/9/2022 - Voodoo_Champagne Likes this wine:
A study in Rhône Valley garrigue and landscape, a wonderful texture, seductive nose and taste, never heard of it before, but was recommended to my while visiting Mas de Libian in l’ Ardeche.
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