Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas

Gigondas 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.

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 Gigondas is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. The shade and elevation at Saint Cosme provide a cooler micro-climate than the rest of Gigondas. Whole clusters are fermented with indigenous yeasts and vinified in a combination of new and used barrels, and concrete tanks. The wine is 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
“There’s no finer winemaker on the planet than Louis Barruol. I’ve collected every vintage of this since 1996 after Bear Dalton invited me to a St. Cosme tasting, then subsequently set me up with a visit to the winery in the Southern Rhone. The Wine Spectator gave it a score of 95, and it’s on the shelf at Spec’s for just under $60.”
— Houston Chronicle, Dec 2020
“Brilliant in detailing, this vintage has an underlying beauty and perfume, while still being dense and powerful, its’ a thrilling whole cluster version, which adds more dimension and a sultry earthiness that sets against the deep fruit perfectly, I honestly can imagine it getting better than this, in fact this wine blows away many Chateauneuf du Pape(s) that sell for two or three times the price. Layered with a core of vinous black fruits, this Saint Cosme Gigondas shows boysenberry, creme de cassis, dark plum, pomegranate and misson figs along with violets, cinnamon, dried lavender plus a touch of bitter chocolate, leather, cedar and black licorice. The inky purple hued 2017 edition, pretty much as per normal was aged for twelve months, getting about 20% in new oak, which I believe are puncheons, with close to 50% of the wine resting in casks used for 1 to 4 fills and 30% in concrete vat, giving it a well rounded mouth feel and exceptional purity. Barruol’s wines are always hedonistic and authentic in style, they and in particular this one never disappoint, especially with hearty cuisine, I suggest that you don’t miss this vintage!”
— Grape Live, Feb 2020
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Gigondas
Soil composition
Limestone
Training method
Gobelet
Elevation:
825 feet
Vines/acre:
1600
Harvest time:
mid-October
Bottles produced of this wine:
45,000
Certifying Organizations:
Ecocert
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 14% Syrah, 1% Cinsaut
Maceration technique:
Pumpovers
Fining agent:
None
Type of aging container:
Barrels and Cement vats
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
12 months
Age of Aging Container:
20% new oak
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.9
Acidity:
3.1 g/L
Residual sugar:
1.4 g/L