2010 Domaine Les Pallieres Gigondas Terrasse Du Diable
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91 WS
A very stylish rendering of Gigondas, with floral and bergamot notes giving way to cherry, red currant and red licorice flavors. The silky feel belies the iron edge lurking on the finish. This shows subtle persistence. Should fill in with cellaring. Best from 2014 through 2020. 760 cases imported. –JM
November 15, 2012 --Wine Spectator
90-92 ST
Vivid red. Fresh raspberry and floral aromas show impressive purity and energy. Bright, racy and focused on the palate, displaying powerful red berry and cherry flavors and hints of succulent herbs. A suave candied lavender note builds with air and carries through the red fruit-accented finish. I suspect that this wine will be approachable soon after release. 90-92 points
By Josh Raynolds Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Jan/Feb 12 --International Wine Cellar
17 JR
Looks quite evolved. Heady, sweet, treacly. Lots of richness. But very light and dry and youthful. Good freshness too! Long.
Rated 17+/20 - Drink 2015 to 2023 - Tasted December 1, 2011 by Jancis Robinson MW, December 21, 2011 --Jancis Robinson - www.JancisRobinson.com
91-93 RR
The same blend and elevage as the ’09, the 2010 Domaine les Pallières Gigondas Terrasse du Diable is a deeper, darker rendition of the prior vintage, showing serious minerality that’s buffered by crunchy black fruits, spice, and licorice aromas. Medium to full-bodied with beautiful concentration, perfectly ripe fruit, good acidity, and plenty of length, this will be an outstanding bottle of wine that should have 10-12 years of prime drinking. (91-93 pts.)
by Jeb Dunnuck, Issue #9, September 2011 --Jeb Dunnuck's The Rhone Report
93 WA
Slightly superior, revealing more minerality and a subtle, incremental building of flavor intensity, the 2010 Gigondas Terrasse du Diable offers lots of black raspberry, kirsch and floral characteristics along with an undeniable crushed rock minerality. Medium to full-bodied and elegant as well as impressively built, rich, pure and beautifully balanced, it can be enjoyed now and over the next 15 years.
Les Pallieres, one of the iconic estates of Gigondas, is now owned (and has been reinvigorated) by the partnership of Vieux Telegraphe’s Daniel Brunier and the well-known American boutique wine importer, Kermit Lynch. Brunier and Lynch have done a fabulous job turning this estate around, and they continue to fine tune what is a complicated, cool climate, high altitude property where the harvest is usually two to three weeks after that of Vieux Telegraphe in Chateauneuf du Pape. As for the red wines, both of the cuvees produced are approximately 80% Grenache, with the Terrasse du Diable coming from vineyards planted at 300-900 meters and Les Racines from lower slopes where there is more clay and less decomposed limestone. by Robert Parker, Issue #203, October 2012 --The Wine Advocate
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| Description | ||
| Winery Notes: Composition: 90% Grenache, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Clairette Vines: 45 years average • Grapes are sourced from lieux-dits Poncet, Thomas, Les Pallières, and Terrasse du Diable • Traditional fermentation lasts 25-30 days in temperature-controlled cement cuves and wooden vats • Wine ages in cuves for 10 months, then in foudres for 12 months About the Domaine: Domaine Les Pallières is undeniably one of the greatest, longest-running properties of the Southern Rhône—outside the village of Gigondas, woven into the foothills of the beautiful and brooding Dentelles de Montmirail. The domaine had been a continuously running farm within the same family since the fifteenth century! Les Pallières was once a famous domaine with wines of impeccable character, yet the property had slowly fallen into disrepair. Two great frosts of the twentieth century had killed off many of the olive and fruit trees, and both the winery and the vineyards were badly in need of repairs. By 1998, the Roux brothers wanted to make a change. With no future successors to take their place, they decided to sell. The Brunier brothers, Daniel and Frédéric, of the famed Vieux Télégraphe in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, were rising stars in the Southern Rhône at the time, having distinguished themselves time and time again with world class wines. A casual discussion over lunch at Chez Panisse between Daniel and Kermit Lynch, the Brunier’s longtime American importer, spontaneously turned into a game plan to revive the faded jewel—Les Pallières. Though the competition to buy the domaine was fierce with very reputable names in the mix, the Roux brothers finally decided to sell to the Bruniers and Kermit. After decades of neglect, Pallières’ renaissance had begun. A focus on the terroir and its potential soon led to a clear, new direction. The vineyards range from 250-400 meters in altitude, with varying proportions of sand and clay interwoven with limestone scree descending from the Dentelles. Terraces were built and reinforced, allowing for better water retention. A new winery was built to receive the harvested parcels individually in gravity-fed tanks. The many lieux-dits, once blended into one cuvée of Gigondas, have been separated into two, starting with the 2007 vintage, in an effort to best express two remarkable personalities. Cuvée“Terrasse du Diable,” encompasses the low-yielding vines from the higher altitudes that express great structure and intense minerality. Cuvée “Les Racines” showcases the vineyard parcels surrounding the winery—the origin of the domaine with the oldest vines—with the emphasis on freshness and extravagant cornucopian fruit. Domaine Les Pallières has become a partnership among friends, a real meeting of the minds—a creative collaboration of three leading, passionate experts on the wines of the Rhône. |
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