JEB DUNNUCK – SOUTHERN RHÔNE PART 2: 2017 & 2018 FROM GIGONDAS…

« To quickly summarize the two vintages reviewed here, 2017 is a terrific vintage throughout the Southern Rhône. The wines offer rich, powerful, incredibly Provençal styles that resemble more elegant examples of the 2009s or even fresher, more docused examples of the 2007s…

A step back, 2018 is nevertheless a good vintage that suffered due to an incredibly rainy winter and spring followed by a massive mildew outbreak in the spring and early summer. This was less of an issue for higher elevation, hillside regions such as Gigondas and Rasteau that see better airflow and cooler temperature. It’s also worth pointing out that the vintage improves as you move away from the Rhône River towards Mount Ventoux. Nevertheless, yields were down throughout the Souther Rhône in 2018 due to mildew…

What You Need To Know
Both 2017 and 2018 are solid vintages for the Rhône Valley, with 2017 offering exciting, Provençal, sexy wines that have plenty of density and structure, and 2018 offering more forward, soft, elegant wines that are going to be ideal for near term drinking. »

Terrasse du Diable rouge 2017

92-94+. Also not yet bottled, the 2017 Gigondas Terrasse Du Diable is rocking stuff and has a mouthwatering sense of salinity and mineratliy as well as the classic kirsch, garrigue, and peppery aromas this cuvée always possesses. Medium to full-bodied, balanced, and nicely concentrated, with ripe tannins, it’s going to keep for 15 years of more.

Les Racines rouge 2017

92-94. More blackcurrants, black cherries, earth, and leafy, peppery herb aromas emerge from the 2017 Gigondas Les Racines, which is more closed and backward yet has plenty of depth and concentration. It needs 4-5 years of bottle age.

Terrasse du Diable rouge 2018

91-93. Mostly Grenache from terraced, higher elevation sites in the Gigondas, the 2018 Gigondas Terrasse Du Diable offers a beautiful perfume of kirsch and ripe red fruits as well as loads of spice, graphite, and peppery herbs. With plenty of sweet fruit, solid mid-palate depth, ripe tannins, and beautiful finish, it has plenty of upfront appeal and will keep for over a decade.

Les Racines rouge 2018

90-92+. The 2018 Gigondas Les Racines comes from older vines and slightly deeper, more north-facing parcels around the estate. It offers darker notes of blackcurrants earth, ground pepper, truffle, and leafy herbs as well as a more concentrated, tannic style on the palate.