Guigal Gigondas 2007

As we have come to expect from this domain, Guigal’s 2007 Gigondas is a deeply colored, full-bodied red wine that possesses both charm and vigor. And like its predecessors it is built along the lines of the estate’s now legendary Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It sports a rich ruby/purple robe and a flamboyant bouquet that offers a cache of rose petals, violets, and the deep down scents of kirsch and crème de cassis to tantalize the olfactory. On the palate, Guigal’s 2007 Gigondas is broad and expansive with a core of black fruits and spice – all neatly wrapped around silky tannins. Although not quite as structured as Guigal’s excellent 2005 Gigondas, it offers a more alluring bouquet and a bit more elegance and flavor. Guigal’s 2007 Gigondas is both packed and polished, the antithesis of some of this appellation’s less gracious offerings, which under the guise of tradition prefer rusticity to balance and complexity. Consequently, the 2007 Guigal Gigondas will continue to mature for several more years in bottle. For immediate consumption, allow this alluring Gigondas at least 15-20 minutes of aeration before serving at no more than 66° F.

One of the delights of high quality Rhône wine is its versatility with food, and Guigal’s 2007 Gigondas is at its best with food. Whether it is served with red meat or white meat, a flavorful stew or a rich lentil or bean dish, you can count on Guigal’s 2007 Gigondas to add to the occasion. In Gigondas and throughout the Rhône Valley, a roast leg of lamb, rubbed with fresh garlic, rosemary and thyme provides the quintessential accompaniment to Gigondas. Nevertheless, one of our favorite pairings with Guigal’s Gigondas remains a simple rotisserie chicken, basted with cream and Provencal herbs. It seems the simpler the food, the brighter the shine from the finest of wines. Cassoulet, sausage and peppers, and steak au poivre provide other delicious accompaniments to this wine. We also enjoy classic Italian favorites with Guigal’s Gigondas. Piedmontese risottos, spicy eggplant dishes, and most tomato laden classics from southern Italy will complement this racy Gigondas, too. Bon appétit!

You may have heard us say this before, but it is worth repeating: Marcel Guigal and his son Philippe have again raised the bar in the southern Rhône with a string of formidable wines in 2007, and perhaps the most outstanding offering from the picture perfect 2007 vintage is the domain’s sensational 2007 Gigondas which, in addition to greatly impressing our selection panel, also garnered a 92-94 rating from Robert Parker. With the release of their 2007 Gigondas, Guigal has demonstrated why this family-owned domain receives so much praise and adulation. Marcel has also demonstrated that he is equally adept at producing point of reference wines in the southern Rhône Valley as he is in Côte Rôtie, Hermitage, and St. Joseph to the north. It is no wonder then that Marcel Guigal has been called everything from “the man with the Midas touch” to “the planet’s greatest living winemaker.” Unquestionably, Guigal has earned the reputation for fashioning many of southern France’s most exciting wines, as the flood of favorable reviews and critical acclaims of his wines will attest. Yet, perhaps even more impressive is Guigal’s knack for consistency. Unfailingly, Guigal’s wines, whether they are red, white, or rosé, top the charts in both good years and bad. Moreover, Guigal’s many outstanding wines have become the benchmarks by which all others are judged in their respective appellations.

Gigondas and the neighboring villages of Vacqueyras and Châteauneuf-du-Pape produce the finest red wines of the southern Rhône. Relying upon old vines of Grenache, married to lesser quantities of Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault, the sleepy little village Gigondas turns out a startling array of big, beautiful, tasty reds from nearly 2,500 acres of vineyards. Spanning a combination of soils, from the gravelly clay of the flat plains at the base of the craggy Dentelles de Montmirail, to the sheer bedrock of the Dentelles themselves, Gigondas is testament to the belief that in this enchanted corner of Provence one can even extract blood from stones, in the form of deeply colored wine known as Gigondas.