Recent Reviews

Robert Parker November '09

Wine Spectator Ratings 2009

Decanter Southern Rhône Guide 2009

Tasting Notes on currently available Moulin de la Gardette wines

by Josh Raynolds of

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

2007 Gigondas Petite Gardette

(from young vines) Deep red. Ripe cherry and dark chocolate on the nose, with subtle garrigue notes adding nuance. Fresher red berry flavors show good concentration and are firmed by dusty tannins. Picks up a warm aspect on the finish, which repeats the cherry note. - 85-88

2007 Gigondas La Cuvee Tradition

Glass-staining ruby. Explosively perfumed aromas of red and dark berry preserves, sandalwood and smoky minerals. Seamless and sweet, with lush blackberry and kirsch flavors, no apparent tannins and gentle mineral lift. Not especially complex but the fruit is attractive and the finish broad and persistent. - 87-90

2007 Gigondas La Cuvee Ventabren

Dark purple. Powerfully scented yet suave bouquet of dark berries, Asian spices, anise and lavender. Broad and fleshy, with deeply concentrated and sweet red and dark fruit flavors. A sexy, spherical wine that displays impressive opulence, finishing with excellent clarity and length. This should be attractive on release. - 90-93

2006 Gigondas La Cuvee Tradition

($25) Vivid ruby. Exotic scents of red berries, potpourri and garrigue, with a slow-building mineral quality. Fleshy and sweet, displaying tangy red fruit and cherry flavors along with candied lavender and white pepper. Finishes graceful, precise and persistent. I might have guessed this sexy wine to be a pinot noir. - 89

2006 Gigondas La Cuvee Ventabren

($37) Deep ruby. Powerful aromas of blackberry and blueberry confit, with a smoky undertone. Broad and fleshy, showing sweet dark berry flavors, supple texture and gently tangy minerality. The smokiness returns on the finish, which leaves a trail of dark berry notes behind. This is already pretty seductive. (K & L Wine Merchants, Redwood City, CA) - 90

January 09 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

http://www.wineaccess.com/expert/tanzer/article.html?content_id=54...

Harvest 2008 news

By any measure 2008 has been an unusual year and a difficult one for winemakers. Over most of Europe the summer has been cooler and much wetter than normal, certainly a big change from the very hot summers we have seen for the last five years. Fortunately the southern Rhône and Gigondas was spared much of the bad weather but protecting the vines from fungal infections has been a challenge all season, particulary in September and October as the grapes were late to ripen.

Vigilant in-vineyard quality control has been essential this year >

Dedicated to making only the very best wine Jean-Baptiste delayed picking until the second week of October, a strategy that ensured that the grapes were well ripened but risked losing quantity in favour of quality as any infected buches were left unpicked.

< Picking Syrah high in the stony vineyard terraces of Les Dentelles

This year Jean-Baptiste has installed 30 and 50HL 'foudres' in the winery, these are the traditional big oak casks holding the equivalent of 13 - 22 barriques. Maturing in these greater volumes should make the '08 vintage smoother, more refined and bring out the characterisic grenache notes

.

Punching down the cap of grapes and skins into the juice to improve extraction of flavour and colour, and release the fermentation gasses >

< Checking the temperature of the fermenting juice. If necessary, the must is cooled so that the delicate flavours and aromas are not lost.

The juice is flowed over the fruit cap to better integrate the flavours and admit a little air that is needed by the yeasts >

The vineyard in autumn

Prestigious French wine magazine 'Tast Pro' rates Moulin de la Gardette #1!

The April edition of 'Tast Pro' carried the results of a tasting that included almost every Gigondas wine available and gave top marks to Moulin de la Gardette. To read what the reviews said in the French original click here, otherwise read on for my 'best efforts' translation:

"MOULIN DE LAGARDETTE

Jean Baptiste Meunier makes wine from the 9.5 ha. family holding that is made up of 24 separate vineyard parcels. His approach is close to organic, no herbicides are used and only the indigenous wild yeasts that have evolved naturally to suit local conditions. The wines are often austere in their youth, but they age extremely well developing a very seductive aromatic bouquet. The Tradition 2002, despite all the difficulties of the vintage, is incredibly charming and shows all the expertise of the winemaker.

Gigondas Ventabren, red 2005

Tank sample. Balanced and fresh, a delightful wine, well constructed. It has benefited well from the year. Great wine. Charming and well balanced. Good length. It will age superbly. 17/20

Gigondas Tradition, red 2004

80% grenache, 10% cinsault, 10% mourvèdre. 10% aged in wood (in old barrels). This comprises two thirds of the production. Bottled in June 2006. Very powerful nose, warm, lots of cocoa flavour, with hints of artichoke and fresh hay, very pleasant. Cherry jam. Pleasing and refined. The mouth is structured, fat, with a beautiful aromatic palette and pleasing final freshness. The wine is not hot, it is fat, but powerful. The tannins are smooth. Lots of body. The wine has not yet recovered completely from bottling. 16/20

Gigondas Ventabren, red 2004

(Ventabren = where the wind blows well, in Provencal) 70% grenache, 20% syrah, 10% cinsault. Aged one year in wood (100% barriques, between 4 and 8 years old). This represents one third of the production. Bottled in June 2006, after 18 months of maturing. Lightly filtered. Deeper, more candied, fruitier nose. An astonishing touch of pineapple juice! Many sweet spices (cinnamon). The mouth is creamy, very smooth, with truly pleasing charm. Long and complex. A very refined wine, which is already tempting to taste. 15.4%, but the alcohol is well integrated. Generous body. 17.5/20

Gigondas Tradition, red 2003

Totally polished. Toffee nose, some tea, herb tea, stewed fruit. Complex and very refined. One senses the touch of the vintage. The mouth is rich and voluptuous, with tannins present but quite softened. A beautiful plummy finish. Lots of blended aromas. A very good wine. Notes of age, but no sign of oxidation. I adore it. More naturalness and lightness that the Ventabren in this year! 16.5/20

Gigondas Ventabren, red 2003 (nearly all gone)

Nose deeper and more complex than the Tradition. The flavours remain very fresh. The mouth is smooth, creamy, with firm tannins but perhaps a little drier than the simple Tradition. The ending is less complex, less harmonious. I prefer the Tradition in 2003! And the price difference plays in favour of the latter. 15.5/20

Gigondas, red 2002

2002 was a unique vintage. Hail in May, rain in August, then fog. Harvest at the end of September. Grenache and mourvèdre, hardly any syrah or cinsault. Only 40% of the harvest was gathered. No wood. Well developed colour and clarity. The nose is a little foxy. Very spiced (pepper, peony). Gingerbread. The nose sharper than other richer years. The mouth is spiced, tight, but is very nice. Atypical for the domaine, but masterly given the year. Beautiful aromatic palette. For the price, it's a lovely wine With a little air, the toasty notes revive. Lots of charm, despite its defects (foxiness). 15.5/20

Gigondas, red 1998

In two barriques for 8 years, topped up with the next year, following the 'principe de la solera' (3 litres per year). It will be bottled in 2006. The first is very chocolatey, with a hint of volatility. 15.5/20

The second is more toasty, with more aromatic charm, but perhaps less depth. Really astonishing! 16/20"