Château de Saint Cosme Les Deux Albion Rouge

Chateau de Saint Cosme Les Deux Albion Rouge Bottle

Wine Description

Château de Saint Cosme is the leading estate of Gigondas and produces the benchmark wines of the appellation. The property has been in the hands of the Barruol family since 1490. Louis Barruol took over from his father in 1992 making a dramatic shift to quality and converting to biodynamics in 2010.

The estate lies in the heart of Gigondas where 15 hectares of vineyard grow in the shade of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountain. In addition to the estate-grown wines labeled “Château de Saint Cosme,” Louis Barruol buys grapes from contracted growers, labeling these “négociant” wines simply as “Saint Cosme.”

Château de Saint Cosme Côtes-du-Rhône Les Deux Albion is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Clairette from the three Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages communes of Plan de Dieu, Saint Maurice, and Cairanne. The whole clusters are co-fermented with indigenous yeasts and vinified in conical wooden vats and concrete tanks for 18 months.

Saint Cosme Stone Sign
Chapel de Saint Cosme
WInemaker Louis Barruol
Oak Barrels
Chai de Saint Cosme
Aerial View of Chapel de Saint Cosme
Winemaker Louis Barruol
Le Poste Vineyards and Dentelles de Montmirail
Father and Son, Henry and Louis Barruol
Gigondas Bottle
accordion plus icons
Acclaim
“St. Cosme is an ancient property in France’s Rhone valley that produces sought-after wines from exalted villages such as Gigondas and St. Joseph. They also craft a deliciously affordable wine in this Cotes-du-Rhone offering. It offers up the unmistakable aromas of cherry, herbs, and a whiff of bacon smoke that can only come from Grenache and Syrah grown in this part of southern France. It’s a treat if you drink it now, but is sturdy enough to cellar for a couple of years if you want to taste how time relaxes a well-crafted red.”
— Baltimore Magazine, Apr 2021
“This Syrah-dominant blend augmented by Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre and Clairette is sourced from three Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages communes of Plan de Dieu Saint Maurice and Cairanne. Vinified in wooden vats and matured in concrete, it offers decadent cassis and black-plum flavors accented by tar, charred sage and licorice. Supple and piercing, the wine is ready now but will hold through 2028.”
— Wine Enthusiast, May 2021
View more acclaim Arrow Right
accordion plus icons
Vineyard & Production Info
Soil composition
Schist
Training method
Gobelet
Elevation:
495 feet
Vines/acre:
1800
Exposure:
Eastern
Year vineyard planted:
1980
Harvest time:
Early October
First vintage of this wine:
1999
Bottles produced of this wine:
55,000
Certifying Organizations:
Ecocert
accordion plus icons
Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
50% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 15% Carignan, 5% Clairette
Fermentation container:
Cement vats
Maceration technique:
Pumpovers and Pigeages
Fining agent:
None
Type of aging container:
Cement vats and wooden tanks
Length of aging before bottling:
18 months
accordion plus icons
Analytical Data
pH level:
4
Acidity:
3.5 g/L
Alcohol:
15.3 %
Residual sugar:
1 g/L