Gigondas Hominis Fides 2016 - Château de St Cosme

Gigondas Hominis Fides 2016 — Château de Saint Cosme

This Gigondas Hominis Fides 2016 from Château de Saint Cosme embodies a rare, profound and beautifully structured expression of Grenache from one of the most singular terroirs of Gigondas. An emblematic single-parcel cuvée, Hominis Fides combines Mediterranean richness, the depth of old vines and remarkable mineral tension: blackberry, cassis, black plum, black cherry, fig, kirsch, garrigue, thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, liquorice, cocoa, violet, tapenade, fine leather, warm earth and a long mineral finish.

Château de Saint Cosme is one of the major estates of Gigondas, renowned for wines of great depth, precision and ageing capacity. Hominis Fides represents one of the estate’s most sought-after single-parcel cuvées, with an intense, distinguished and profoundly Mediterranean expression of Grenache. The 2016 vintage, exceptional in the Southern Rhône, gives here a broad, structured and balanced wine, promised to evolve beautifully.

Terroir: Hominis Fides, old vines, sand and the depth of Gigondas

The terroir of Gigondas, at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail, benefits from a mosaic of limestone, marl, clay, sandy and stony soils, under the influence of the Mediterranean climate and the mistral. These conditions give deep, spicy and structured wines, capable of combining power, freshness, aromatic complexity and very fine longevity.

The Hominis Fides parcel is distinguished by a particularly pure, profound and velvety expression of Grenache, often marked by the finesse of sandy soils and the concentration of very old vines. At Saint Cosme, it gives a wine that is dense, dark and precise, where fruit richness remains balanced by freshness, spices and long mineral persistence. In 2016, the balance of the vintage reinforces the wine’s depth, tension and harmony.

Tasting notes

Appearance: deep garnet with purple reflections, dense, bright and still very sustained. The colour reflects the concentration of the 2016 vintage, the depth of Grenache and a gradual evolution towards more spicy and tertiary nuances.

Nose: deep, ripe and intensely Mediterranean, with blackberry, cassis, black plum, black cherry, fig, kirsch, ripe black fruits, garrigue, thyme, bay leaf, black pepper, liquorice and cocoa. With aeration, nuances of violet, tapenade, fine leather, warm earth, sweet spices, black olive, noble smoke, light truffle and dried herbs may appear.

Palate: broad, dense, velvety and powerfully structured, with generous black fruit carried by very well-integrated mineral freshness. Flavours of blackberry, cassis, plum, fig, kirsch, liquorice, black pepper, garrigue, tapenade, fine leather, cocoa and warm earth unfold with depth, supported by ripe, polished and persistent tannins. The finish is long, spicy, saline and mineral, with an impression of noble power, balance and great Rhône persistence.

Expression of the 2016 vintage

The 2016 vintage in the Southern Rhône is considered one of the great vintages of balance, combining fruit ripeness, freshness, structure and precision. In Gigondas, this year produced deep, spicy and harmonious wines, capable of ageing with elegance while retaining energy and definition.

Today, this Gigondas Hominis Fides 2016 remains still young in its evolution but can already impress through its depth, texture and balance after careful aeration. With time, it will gain complexity around notes of fine leather, cocoa, light truffle, dried herbs, tapenade, melted spices, warm earth and minerality, while preserving the richness of black fruit and the freshness of the terroir.