2016 Gigondas La Gille

Deep ruby. Aromas of ripe red and blue fruits, garrigue and pungent flowers pick up a spicy topnote with aeration. Displays sharp delineation and energetic lift to fresh black raspberry, cherry and lavender pastille flavors, which fan out slowly on the back half. Finishes sweet, lively and very long, with fine-grained tannins framing lingering red fruit and floral notes.

Medium ruby-colored, the 2016 Gigondas La Gille (90% Grenache and the rest other permitted varieties) is silky and polished, with beautiful kirsch, dried earth, spice box and dried flowers aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, pure, and polished, it's already drinking nicely yet has enough tannin (not to mention balance) to keep for a decade. One of the old guards of the region, Château de Beaucastel is nevertheless one of the most progressive and forward-thinking estates out there. They have a wealth of old vine Mourvèdre planted in the northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and have purchased heavily in the cooler appellation of Gigondas. They’ve broken the lineup into their Château de Beaucastel releases for the estate wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and several additional cuvées released under their Famille Perrin label. Looking at the 2016s, these wines remind me of how the 2001s tasted on release. They are some of the finest wines in the vintage as well as ever made at the estate. These are classic, concentrated, yet perfectly balanced wines that will benefit from bottle age. In contrast, the 2017s are also brilliant but more forward and charming, and I suspect the preponderance of clay soils at this estate helped dramatically with keeping the vines ripening grapes as opposed to shutting down during this hot, dry vintage.

Grenache, Syrah. Aged in foudres and barriques. Jammy nose with less definition than their Christins Vacqueyras. Firmer and more textural on the palate, with ample density. Has the gutsiness and fruit power to age well. (RH)