WINE ADVOCATE – 31 OCT 2011 – #197 – (90-92) pts –

Coming from 70-year-old vines on the more drought resistant lower slopes (where there is more clay in the soil) is the 2009 Gigondas Les Racines. Slightly better, with more color, this blend of 80% Grenache and the rest Cinsault and Syrah reveals more complexity in a savage, animal-like manner. Hints of mint, strawberry liqueur, tree bark, porcini mushrooms and kirsch emerge from this complex, concentrated Gigondas. Drink it over the next decade.