...And to drink?
There’s no more satisfying wine to order in a restaurant than Gigondas. Just saying: ‘I’ll have the Gigondas’ makes me feel 80 per cent more manly. It’s a wine that promises flavour and power. Gigondas is a small appellation near Châteauneuf-du-Pape and like its more famous brother makes big alcoholic wines mainly from Grenache. The less good ones can be a little medicinal. The best, however, have a meaty intensity and fragrance that reminds me of wines from much further north. There should always be something refreshing in a good Gigondas. You’d think ‘Gigondas’ would relate to the size of the wines but it’s probably a corruption of the name of a Roman legionnaire who settled in the region – Jucundus, meaning ‘the joyful’. An apt name for such a pleasurable wine.
Domaine Saint Gayan Gigondas 2010, £19.95: www.robersonwine.com
Wonderful dark flavours on the nose, olives and black cherries. There’s quite a bit of tannin – none of these wines should really be broached without food – and a great balancing acidity. The fi nish is all leather and herbs.
Château de St Cosme Gigondas 2012, £21.95: www.slurp.co.uk
What a nose! Smells of leather and grape stalks. It’s spicy, fresh, chewy. You should wait to drink it, but already it offers much pleasure.
Domaine du Grand Montmirail Gigondas 2011, £16.95: www.yapp.co.uk
This is a comparatively light, dare I say it, feminine wine for Gigondas. It smells of violets and there’s some fresh crunchy fruit with a nice bite at the end.
The Exquisite Collection Gigondas 2013, £9.99: www.aldi.co.uk
This is as cheap as you’ll get for Gigondas and really it’s not bad – meaty and concentrated.
Domaine Saint Gayan Gigondas 2010, £19.95: www.robersonwine.com
Wonderful dark flavours on the nose, olives and black cherries. There’s quite a bit of tannin – none of these wines should really be broached without food – and a great balancing acidity. The fi nish is all leather and herbs.
Château de St Cosme Gigondas 2012, £21.95: www.slurp.co.uk
What a nose! Smells of leather and grape stalks. It’s spicy, fresh, chewy. You should wait to drink it, but already it offers much pleasure.
Domaine du Grand Montmirail Gigondas 2011, £16.95: www.yapp.co.uk
This is a comparatively light, dare I say it, feminine wine for Gigondas. It smells of violets and there’s some fresh crunchy fruit with a nice bite at the end.
The Exquisite Collection Gigondas 2013, £9.99: www.aldi.co.uk
This is as cheap as you’ll get for Gigondas and really it’s not bad – meaty and concentrated.