Gigondas Grand Vin

Jean-François Ranvier and François Dauvergne teamed up to create a unique approach to building a brand focused on quality from vine to finished wine. In 2004, despite the partners not yet having a chateau, incredible funding, or vines of their own, they approached the best of the growers with enthusiasm for an idea. Jean-François had worked with over 50 cellars in the Rhone valley and together in 2004 the partners approached the best of them with their...

Jean-François Ranvier and François Dauvergne teamed up to create a unique approach to building a brand focused on quality from vine to finished wine. In 2004, despite the partners not yet having a chateau, incredible funding, or vines of their own, they approached the best of the growers with enthusiasm for an idea. Jean-François had worked with over 50 cellars in the Rhone valley and together in 2004 the partners approached the best of them with their idea. Entrusted with the vineyard’s best parcels of terroir, Jean-François and François consult with each property on all aspects of vineyard management, proper harvesting techniques, and winemaking processes in the cellars. Agreements would be made prior to harvest on the proper price for the grapes or finished wines and Dauvergne Ranvier would purchase 100% of the yearly production. It is a completely collaborative effort that ensure the properties will be selling their grapes and Dauvergne Ranvier can be guaranteed quality and volume.

Gigondas is a village in the southern Rhône valley and an appellation for red and rosé wines. Both colors are made from up to 80 percent Grenache (according to the appellation laws), with at least 15 percent comprised of Syrah and Mourvèdre. Any Gigondas wine may have a maximum of 10 percent of any variety sanctioned by the standard red Côtes du Rhône appellation laws, with the exception of Carignan.

The resulting style of wine made under the...

Gigondas is a village in the southern Rhône valley and an appellation for red and rosé wines. Both colors are made from up to 80 percent Grenache (according to the appellation laws), with at least 15 percent comprised of Syrah and Mourvèdre. Any Gigondas wine may have a maximum of 10 percent of any variety sanctioned by the standard red Côtes du Rhône appellation laws, with the exception of Carignan.

The resulting style of wine made under the appellation is often likened to that of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, just 17 kilometers (10 miles) to the southwest. Red wines are typically bold, forward, ripe and relatively high in alcohol – in fact, the appellation laws require a minimum alcohol level of 12.5 percent, one of the highest stipulated for French red wine. The best examples can certainly match many bottlings from its more famous neighbor.

The quality measures taken in the creation of Gigondas' wines include the mandatory selection of healthy grapes over imperfect grapes, known in French as triage. Maximum yield is set at 36 hectoliters per hectare, only 1hl more than Châteauneuf-du-Pape (385 vs 374 US gallons per acre).

The appellation occupies an area covering the base and slopes of the first Dentelles de Montmirail foothills. The villages of Beaumes-de-Venise and Vacqueyras are located to the south and west of Gigondas respectively and enjoy very similar growing conditions. The terroir here is characterized by a hot, dry Mediterranean climate and by the combination of limestone soils (on the Montmirail slopes to the east) and rocky, sandy, free-draining soils (on the flatter, lower-lying land to the north and west)

The Rhone Valley is one of France's key wine regions, and is divided neatly by a gap of about 25 miles (40km). Wines from the northern part of the valley tend to be Syrah-dominant (Hermitage and Cote Rotie being the most notable examples), while wines from the southern Rhone are more commonly blends, with Grenache playing a more dominant role. Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the most famous example of a southern Rhone blend, but similar blends are found in...

The Rhone Valley is one of France's key wine regions, and is divided neatly by a gap of about 25 miles (40km). Wines from the northern part of the valley tend to be Syrah-dominant (Hermitage and Cote Rotie being the most notable examples), while wines from the southern Rhone are more commonly blends, with Grenache playing a more dominant role. Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the most famous example of a southern Rhone blend, but similar blends are found in wines from Gigondas, Vacqueyras and the regional Cotes du Rhone title.

Alongside Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre (which are often collectively referred to as a GSM blend), a number of local varieties can be found in southern Rhone blends. This includes varieties like Carignan and Cinsaut, which are planted along the Mediterranean coast, but also more obscure varieties like Clairette, Counoise, Muscardin, Terret Noir and Vaccarese. It is not unheard of for southern Rhone red blends to also include white grape varieties like Viognier or Roussanne in small proportions.

Given that there are so many possible combinations in these southern French varieties, "Rhone Blend" and its variants have been useful cover-all terms. An unresolved question is whether it is appropriate to use the descriptor for wines from regions that have adopted these varieties. Australia and California in particular have embraced the classic Rhone grape varieties: in California, the main proponents of the variety have become known as the "Rhone Rangers", and in Australia, the term "GSM" on a bottle has been enthusiastically embraced by consumers.