Gigondas "Le Claux" 2016 - Château de St Cosme

Gigondas Le Claux 2016 — Château de Saint Cosme

This Gigondas Le Claux 2016 from Château de Saint Cosme embodies a rare, profound and powerfully refined expression of Grenache from one of the great historic terroirs of Gigondas. From an emblematic parcel, Le Claux combines Mediterranean richness, limestone freshness and a structure of great nobility: 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. Le Claux represents one of the estate’s most sought-after single-parcel cuvées, with a dense, vertical and intensely mineral expression of Grenache. The 2016 vintage, exceptional in the Southern Rhône, gives here a broad, structured and balanced wine, promised to evolve beautifully.

Terroir: Le Claux, limestone, old vines 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 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 Le Claux parcel is distinguished by a particularly noble and mineral expression of Grenache. At Saint Cosme, it gives a wine that is dense, dark and precise, where fruit richness remains balanced by limestone tension and a spicy frame. In 2016, the balance of the vintage reinforces the wine’s depth, freshness and persistence.

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 Le Claux 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 limestone freshness of the terroir.