The supple, approachable 2014 Gigondas was aged entirely in foudres prior to bottling. It features attractive notes of cherries, stone fruits and Provence herbs. Guigal uses 25% to 30% Mourvèdre in the firm’s Gigondas, which is high for the appellation.

Knowing the extensive tasting that was in store for me at this address, I scheduled an entire morning to go through the firm’s offerings. The company’s wines undergo unusually long élevages, which means there are always multiple vintages of each wine to taste. It does provide an ideal snapshot of the various appellations/vintages. For my visit, Philippe Guigal and the winemaking team prepared prospective samples of the wines that were not yet bottled. The big news here is the acquisition of Domaine de Nalys in Châteauneuf du Pape, which immediately becomes a property to watch. Those wines will continue to be reviewed separately as part of the Southern Rhône report.