The basic cuvee of 2008 Gigondas has benefitted from having the declassified Valbelle fruit included in its composition. Very Pinot Noir-like, it offers up a medium dark ruby color, aromas of forest floor, berry fruit and a whiff of herbs, minerals and spice. Drink this soft, round, charming 2008 over the next 4-5 years.

As I have written previously, there is no more passionate and talented proprietor than Louis Barruol. His 2007s were the greatest wines he has yet made, and his 2008s are some of the finest efforts from that challenging vintage . He has followed those up with some very good 2009s. Moreover, some sensational bargains can also be found at this property. It goes without saying that readers should go back and take a look at my reviews of the Saint-Cosme 2007s (issue #185).

If you can find any on retailers’ shelves, they are out of this world! Barroul told me that the challenge in 2009 was the excessive drought. Even though some rain did finally arrive, many of the vines had already shut down and it was difficult to get fully mature tannins. Additionally, because of high sugars, vinifications were tricky and there were potential issues with volatile acidity as well as excessively high pH’s, which added additional technical difficulties. A few years ago, Barruol began producing three other cuvees of Gigondas in order to showcase the different terroirs of his estate. They are all 100% Grenache from very different soil bases.

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