Château de Saint Cosme Le Poste

Côtes du Rhône Blanc Le Poste 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 Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc Le Poste is from a 1-hectare terraced vineyard that sits near the chapel of Saint Cosme, a short uphill climb from the winery. The maximum elevation is 280 meters, 140 meters above the Gigondas valley floor, and is one of the coolest vineyards in Gigondas. The terraces and elevation make it necessary to plow the vineyard by horse.

The vineyard was replanted in 1963 by Henri Barruol to a field blend based mainly on Grenache and one small parcel of Clairette from which Le Poste Blanc is produced. This 100% Clairette was vinified in used traditional demi-muids without malolactic fermentation and aged 10 months on lees.

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
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Le Poste
Vineyard size
2 acres
Soil composition
Calcareous
Training method
Gobelet
Elevation:
990 feet
Vines/acre:
1320
Yield/acre:
0.1 tons
Exposure:
Northwestern
Harvest time:
First half of September
Bottles produced of this wine:
216
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Clairette
Fermentation container:
Old barrels
Type of aging container:
Demi-muids and Barrels
Size of aging container:
500 Liters and 228 Liters
Length of aging before bottling:
10 months
Age of Aging Container:
Old
Total SO2
96
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.45
Acidity:
3.34 g/L
Alcohol:
13.1 %
Dry extract:
17 g/L
Total SO2
96
Residual sugar:
0.75 g/L