Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Claux 2022
An elegant and harmonious Gigondas, with floral notes of wild strawberry, violet, peat, spice and camphor through to a long, charming finish.
In old French, Claux was how the modern-day Clos would have been spelled. Claux comes from the Latin ‘Clausum’ meaning ‘closed’, which designates an enclosed vineyard. The vineyard can be enclosed by a wall, river, sea, lake or cliff and in the case of this vineyard, it is enclosed by a cliff. This 1.8- hectare vineyard, mentioned in the first vineyard land registry records of 1902, was due to be pulled out in 1914. lt was therefore already quite old and was planted after phylloxera, probably between 1870 and 1880. However, the men went off to fight the war in August 1914 and the vineyard was not uprooted due to lack of manpower. In 1918, after four years of war, both money and men were lacking and as Louis’ grandmother had lost two brothers, she kept the Le Claux parcel. Fortunately, the vineyard still remains today. Its soils of clay and limestone marl from the Miocene in the Font des Papes alluvial fan, with small sharp gravel on the surface, produce the estate’s most ‘Burgundy-style’ Gigondas with hallmark finesse and freshness with sour cherry aromas.
Whole cluster fermentation took place with minimal intervention and wild yeasts. The wine was then aged for 12 months in French oak casks of which 20% were new and 50% were second passage and 30% were third or fourth passage. Bottled without filtration and certified organic.
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Alcoholic strength | 14.5% |
| Country | France |
| Region | Rhône |
| Subregion | Gigondas |
| Grapes | Grenache 100% |
| Body | D |
| Contains sulphites | Yes |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Milk | No |
| Eggs | No |
| Organic | Yes |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Cork |
Steeped in history, Château de Saint Cosme is nestled in the southern Rhône appellation of Gigondas and has been in the Barruol family for over 500 years. In 1992, fourteenth generation winemaker, Louis Barroul took over the reins of the estate from his father. Today, he is one of the most highly respected winemakers in the Rhône Valley and is affectionately referred to by fellow winemakers of the region as the ‘Genius of Gigondas’. With great determination and flair, he showcases the great potential of the Gigondas terroir with his outstanding parcellaire cuvées from individual old-vine vineyard plots. The estate has great geological diversity, as it is exceptionally located at the crosspoint of two geological faults, which is very rare. Over the years, Louis has also established his own ‘negoce’ wines, seeking out the spirit of soils and vineyards, working painstakingly with small batch fermentations, advancing hand in hand with wine growers who love what they do, while adding that special touch. This has enabled him to explore and master different terroirs, from which he consistently produces pure wines with a precise sense of place, personality and balance.
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