Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Claux

Gigondas Le Claux bottle image

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.

Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Claux is the estate’s oldest vineyard and sits near the entrance to the winery. “It was first planted in 1870 following phylloxera. My uncles thought it wasn’t producing enough fruit and planned to uproot it in 1914,” says Louis Barruol, but “World War I interrupted that plan.”

The 1.8-hectare Le Claux—meaning “Clos” in old French—is a field blend of predominately Grenache. Louis Barruol believes 10% of the vineyard is from the original 1870 planting. Vines are replaced by massal selection and the average vine age is 60-years. The wine is made with whole cluster fermentation from indigenous yeasts, is aged in 20% new 228-liter barrels, and bottled without fining or filtration.

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
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Acclaim
“This has a very rich and deeply ripe nose with a stony, savory edge with coal smoke and blueberries and dark plums on offer. The spice is deeply sewn in and the palate carries such depth and richness with a fleshy expression of pure grenache that was originally planted in 1870 and has been replanted over time. Phenomenal wine with such power and purity.”
— James Suckling, Dec 2019
“Despite its massive body, this wine suggests a thrilling angularity throughout. Blackberry and raspberry flavors are unctuous but finely cut by shards of acidity and a vital mineral tone. Judicious veins of nut, smoke and vanilla integrate into a long, penetrating palate. The wine drinks well now but is likely to improve through 2037.” Editors' Choice
— Wine Enthusiast, Mar 2020
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Le Claux
Vineyard size
4 acres
Soil composition
Calcareous
Training method
Gobelet
Elevation:
825 feet
Vines/acre:
1600
Harvest time:
mid-October
First vintage of this wine:
2006
Bottles produced of this wine:
4,000
Certifying Organizations:
Ecocert
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
Grenache
Fermentation container:
concrete vats
Fining agent:
None
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Size of aging container:
228 Liters
Type of oak:
French
Age of Aging Container:
20% new
Length of bottle aging:
12 months
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Analytical Data
pH level:
4
Acidity:
3.1 g/L
Alcohol:
16.1 %
Residual sugar:
1.1 g/L