“One of my go-to estates in the Southern Rhône - I probably order more bottles of this off wine lists than any other wine.” – Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate

High praise from Mr. Dunnuck! Honestly the 94+ side of the score seems more appropriate here. And the price, as only Wine Spies can do it, seems quite fitting as well.

Châteauneuf fans! Rhone Rangers! Or anyone who’s into deeply concentrated, powerful, red-fruited wines. This one’s for your daily rotation.

Outside of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas unquestionably leads the Southern Rhône in the number of top estates and world-class wines.

We turn the mic back to Jeb, who describes Raspail-Ay: “while they always possess classic Gigondas characters, with ample spice and garrigue, the wines always lead with a beautifully perfumed, red fruit-driven style that emphasizes elegance, balance and texture.”

In our glass, it’s a haunting beauty and very reminisce of a great Southern Rhône. If you were to build a cocktail based on raspberry puree, kirsch, Chartreuse, dashes of grenadine, Baileys, and Angostura Bitters, then garnish it with edible flowers, you should be able to get fairly close to this symphony of aromas and flavors. Texturally and in complexity terms, it can compete with many luxury cuvée from CdP with ease that cost triple.

The Domaine goes back “only” two centuries and has never left the hands of the Ay family. In 1971 it was Francois Ay who pushed the authorities to finally elevate Gigondas to Cru status, par with the more famous neighbor. Now the grandkids and current winemakers Anne-Sophie and Christophe reap the benefits.

Essentially a single vineyard, comprised of 3 consecutive micro-terroirs, or lieux-dits as the French call them, Le Colombier, Le Péage, and les Terres: “mostly a mix of clay, limestone and sand, and there are few estates in Gigondas able to claim such a homogenous terroir” per Jeb again.

Okay, one last Dunnuck quote, as we can’t say it better, this is “a reference point estate for classical, traditional wines… Gigondas at its most perfumed, elegant and graceful.”

Very, VERY little of this one to share. Make it yours!

92-94+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck

“Not yet bottled, the 2019 Gigondas is another great wine from this team. Incredibly complex notes of garrigue, flowers, leather, and mostly red fruits define the bouquet, and it’s medium to full-bodied, has ripe tannins, and offers about as much Provençal goodness as you can fit in a glass. I’m a buyer.”