Saint-Cosme - Châteaneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France (2021)

TASTING NOTES

Slightly gamey with incredibly pretty floral and peppery notes. Quite a smooth, elegant palate showing great tension between fruit concentration and freshness. Will age gracefully for years to come.

Whole cluster fermentation with 1 aging in French oak barriques. Louis Barroul’s family has owned this estate since 1570, but there’s an 11^th century chapel in the middle of the vineyard. Vines were planted here by 1416 at the latest. Today, there are 15 ha of vineyards in three distinct parcels around the château. Average vine age is 60 years. Two of these parcels, ‘Le Claux’ and ‘Hominis Fides’, were planted prior to 1902.

The Dentelles de Montmirail makes this geologically complex — Saint Cosme is located at the crossing of two geological faults, which is very rare — and gives an extraordinary diversity of soils to the terroir. The microclimate is cool and late ripening, helping define Gigondas with the ability to be powerful and refined at the same time. Château de St. Cosme captures the extraordinary potential of the terroir combined with the remarkable character of these old vines. Organic viticulture respects the ancient traditions of the estate. ‘Château de Saint Cosme’ on the labels identifies the estate-grown wines – Gigondas, three ‘cru’ Gigondas, Côtes du Rhône rouge, and a ‘cru’ white are produced.

Louis also crafts a selection of ‘negociant-vigneron’ wines (labeled as ‘Saint Cosme’, without ‘Chateau’) from a selection of great terroir in both Northern & Southern Rhône. He works with the spirit of a vigneron using ancient traditions: remaining a small producer, collaborating with winemakers who share his philosophy, transporting the wines in casks to avoid racking them and killing their fruit, preserving the purity and personality of these unique wines. The wines are Vegan-friendly.

Throughout the range, these are remarkable, balanced, age-worthy wines, deserving of Louis’ reputation as one of the great stars of the Rhône.