2015 E. Guigal Gigondas 750 ml

Guigal, which today is led by Philippe Guigal, son of modern winemaking legend Marcel Guigal. Parker has said of Guigal: “There is no winemaker on planet Earth who has produced so many compelling wines...” Today we’ve got the ideal combination of vintage and winemaking mastery on this 2015 E. Guigal Gigondas from the Southern Rhône.

It’s hard to contain our excitement about any wine from the 2015 vintage of Gigondas—a year that everyone in the wine world touts as one of the best in recent memory. Robert Parker calls it “outstanding” and Wine Spectator says it’s “classic.”

Guigal is a producer whose family has weathered a century of vintages. Philippe Guigal of the famous Guigal negociant house told Wine Spectator, “My father keeps on saying (that 2015) is the most exceptional vintage he has seen in the past 55 years, and 55 years ago was the legendary 1961. It’s a ‘wow’ vintage.”

Here’s the thing: putting aside the brilliance of 2015 and the brilliance of Guigal we still need to shout about the brilliance of Gigondas. This Southern Rhône cru fits in the same pocket of France as Châteauneuf-du-Pape—Gigondas is a geologic complexity that nurtures classic Rhône varieties along the slopes and feet of the stunning Dentelles de Montmirail. Gigondas holds a cru status, similar to the most famous Rhône growing regions such as Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Guigal’s Gigondas comes from some of the higher elevation limestone sites of the region, where vines deliver the classic “GSM” trifecta, in this case: 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre.