Quick and Easy..."93" Pt Gigondas

 

 

 

I predict “93” Points/Highly Recommended-WS

 

A (6) Case of the 2005 Perrin & Fils “La Gille” Gigondas $162.00

 

This one’s another strong candidate for the “Top 100 Wines of 2008” list...

 

Gazing into the magical & mystical future vision provided by my annual subscription to the Wine Spectator’s September 30th “Sneak Preview for the trade” issue my peepers lock onto the top three (Highly Recommended) wines of the issue.  The first scores “94” points ($62), the second matches the first with “94” ($65) while the third, the 2005 Perrin et Fils Gigondas “La Gille” nails a “93” with a price-point of less than half at $27.

 

The wine is also top rated by Parker and Tanzer...

 

Gigondas is a small village in France’s Rhone River Valley.  This quaint artist colony lies between Vacqueyras and Sablet at the bottom of the Dentelles de Montmirail mountains and can trace its history to the Roman times with extensive tangible proof laying around the place like polished battle axes, goofy hats and bronze-age furniture (which isn’t very comfortable to sit on).  The 11th century Saint Catherine’s church, with its central clock tower flanked by the campanile belfry and old sundial are well photographed icons of Gigondas as are the ruins of the Castle of the Princes of Orange.  Apparently, the little town is “run amok” with modern sculpture crafted by self-appointed artists from both Europe and the “New World”.

 

Nothing rhymes with Orange...

 

Gigondas was a “Seigneurie” of the principality of Orange and to the north of the village, on the road up to the Dentelles Montmirail; the ancient Chappelle Sts-Come-ET-Damien extends up out of the forest on a hilltop, giving an added, eerie medieval feeling to the area.  I think they filmed that wacked-out Roman Polanski-Johnny Depp movie “The Ninth Gate” around Gigondas which is a nightmare inducing, spooky and extremely weird flick.

 

What about the wine?

 

Perrin’s 10.5 hectares (26 acres) Gigondas Vineyards are leased and managed by the Beaucastel team.  The vineyards lay 15 kliks to the west of the town of Orange, between the Dentelles and the River Ouveze, a tributary of the Rhone.  There’s also an old half acre of pre-phylloxera vines harvested separately.  Perrin’s Gigondas “La Gille” 2005 is 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah.  The juice receives its extraction and complexity through multiple daily pump-overs rather than punch-downs.  Perrin describes the wine as “deep in color with a velvety aspect; the nose is reminiscent of red fruit jams with a mineral and earthy tone; generous and powerful, robust and distinguished with firm, integrated tannins.”

 

The Spectator says “93 Points/Highly Recommended...Dark and smoky, with alluring cocoa powder, mesquite and bacon fat notes leading the way for rich black currant, melted licorice and espresso.  The long, smoldering finish shows a nice wild side.  Impressive now but better with some cellaring.  Grenache and Syrah; now-2014”.

 

Parker agrees...”90 Points...Perrin ET Fils also produces two cuvees of Gigondas.  Their basic cuvee, which is close to 100% Grenache aged in both tank and foudres, is called “La Gille”.  The 2005 offers plenty of kirsch liqueur, licorice and crushed rocks and has an elegant minerality, medium body and a Burgundian-like flavor and aromatic profile.”

 

As does Tanzer...”89 Points...Bright red; smoky raspberry and strawberry on the nose, with a wild component of cured meat; bitter cherry and ripe red berry flavors are complicated by Garrigue and pepper notes.  Finishes with chewy tannins and a cherry pit flavor.”

 

2005 Perrin & Sons Gigondas “La Gille” $162.00/Case of 6      

Pahlmeyer Jayson Allocations

 

 

 

Pahlmeyer Jayson allocations/no price increase

 

A 6 or 12 Bottle Case (2 or 4 bottles each) of Jayson Pahlmeyer's stunning "Jayson" 2005 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, his 2006 Napa Chardonnay and the already legendary 2005 Napa Valley Red Wine, $320/Case of 6, $610/Case of 12

 

All of Pahlmeyer's vinous efforts have earned international recognition due to his "full-throttle, macro extraction" winemaking philosophy and execution.  Because the Pahlmeyer Napa Proprietary Red, Merlot and Chardonnay are so highly allocated and expensive, he decided to produce a second tier of wines made from "declassified" lots originally intended for his premium package as well as fruit grown on some of Napa Valley, the Russian River and Sonoma Coast's finest properties.  Made in the same, intensely rich style as his pricy efforts, the "Jayson" trio is roughly half the price of the Pahlmeyer line yet often receives remarkably similar kudos.       

 

Jayson Pahlmeyer approaches winemaking in a way that is at once both time-worn and cutting edge.  The grapes are picked at high Brix (sugar level) and once destemmed and crushed, brought through primary and malolactic fermentation in small lots, which softens tannins and magnifies fruit flavors.  The chardonnays undergo barrel fermentation in 100% French oak.  The wine is then aged on the lees for over 12 months and in bottled unfined & unfiltered (think Kistler). 

 

Don't forget that the first release of Opus One was labeled "Napa Valley Red Wine" (which caused a lot of debate)...it is a technical description which avoids bowing to the "Meritage Society" requirements

 

The Jayson "Red" (Think Opus One/Insignia etc) is a declassification of the wine originally intended for the Pahlmeyer proprietary red.  Made from a blend of 73% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cab Franc, 1.5% Petit Verdot and .5% Malbec, the '05 offers toasty oak, tobacco, tar, graphite and earthy notes blended with spice, cherry, red berry and dark fruit flavors in a vibrant and complex package.  The finish is long and persistent.  Erin does not grow or seek out fruit in order to produce wine for the Jayson label.  The '05 was harvested and vinified in the same manner as the proprietary red and the Merlot; the whole berry fruit came from hand-picked lots and fermented in short, open-topped stainless steel tanks and cold soaked, using native yeasts. The wine then finished fermentation in 80% new French oak barrels and was bottled unfined/unfiltered.

 

A little bit of Helen in every bottle or Erin's wines

 

The Pinot Noir fares from Pahlmeyer's Estate vineyard out on the wild and wind-whipped Sonoma Coast (a couple five-irons from both Marcassin and Flowers) as well as a few neighboring properties.  (The Mighty Russian River flows into the Pacific literally at the base of the hill one descends when departing Pahlmeyer vineyards) .Pahlmeyer's wines are made by the extremely talented  Erin Green (who also served as Helen Turley's protégé at Martinelli in her previous life).  Erin likes to say her job allows her to "have fun being serious" about making the Pahlmeyer wines. 

 

The 2005 "Jayson" Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir is also a "declassification" of the Pahlmeyer Pinot Noir.  After a meticulous selection process in assembling the final blend of the Pahlmeyer wine.  Erin Green goes through the remaining lots and determines which, if any, are good enough to bottle under the Jayson label.  Erin describes the wine as having a nose of cherries and rich earth, with blackberry and elegant tannins on the palate; the wine has a long and complex finish with touches of plum and spice with a long and elegant finish.

 

The PinotFile (our friend, Rusty Gaffney) describes the '05 Jayson as "a sexy nose of dark cherries, blackberries, mushrooms and earth; the flavors mimic the aromas with an added spice and woodsy influence in the background.  After 4 hours, a little spice comes forth in the nose and a hint of root beer enlivens the flavors; the tannins are well concealed and the alcohol is well-integrated; no question this is a broad-shouldered middleweight Pinot with a core of fruit but it dances softly on the palate".    

 

All of Pahlmeyer's wines are "Pedal to the Metal"

 

Over time, Pahlmeyer has nurtured relations with growers willing to acknowledge revolutionary Viticultural practices to aid his pursuit of creating powerful wines.  Both Erin and Jayson work with growers to implement radical growing techniques including severe crop thinning and strict canopy management.  By creating an environment for balanced growth, Pahlmeyer can harvest ultra-ripe fruit without disrupting the levels of acid and pH.  The result is wine with INTENSE concentration and finesse.

 

"Industrial Strength" wine with polish and panache.

 

Erin describes the style as "going for the optimum in all stages of the winemaking process...starting with the physiological ripeness of the fruit at harvest, barrel selection, striving for supple (as opposed to angular) tannins and finally blending for maximum flavor, body, dimension and texture.

 

The topic of "product placement" occasionally comes up in discussions within the wine community.  An example involves a scene played rather convincingly by Demi Moore and Michael Douglas in the film "Disclosure".  The libation which aids in Ms. Moore's successful seduction of POOR, poor Michael was Pahlmeyer Chardonnay.  Although Jayson was reluctant to donate a couple cases of the wine prior to the filming, he said that his ultimate decision to do so paid of handsomely.  "I'd made 400 cases of that wine...after the movie came out I could have sold 400,000".    

 

The 2006 Pahlmeyer "Jayson" Chardonnay is a straw-golden color in the glass and offers a nose of tropical fruit, apricot, peach and creme brulee.  The palate is fresh and bright with flavors of ripe pear, orange blossoms, caramel, vanilla and toast.  The finish is crisp and lingers long after the last sip.

 

"90" Wine Spectator..."Elegant, complex, focused and concentrated with smoky fig, hazelnut, nutmeg and cedary oak flavors of ripe pear, orange blossoms, caramel, vanilla and toast.  The finish is crisp and lingers long after the last sip".

 

I can't stress the importance of your rapid response to this offer.  The wines are selling like hotcakes from Pahlmeyer's W.Coast distributor...and there are just so many cases available.

 

Case of 6, 2 each of Napa Red, Chardonnay and  SO-Coast Pinot Noir...$320.00

 

Case of 12, 4 bottles of each wine...$610.00

 

 

This message was sent from Root's Cellar to rebecca@rootscellar.com. It was sent from: Root's Cellar, 1401 E Grove Street , Healdsburg, CA 95448. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.

 

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