Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas 2020

Domaine Raspail-Ay continues to fashion outstanding Gigondas and garner tremendous critical acclaim with impressive ratings for the estate’s 2020 Gigondas. The 2020 Raspail-Ay Gigondas (95 Points – Vinous; 95 Points – Jeb Dunnuck) is ripe, succulent, and scented with dark cherry, raspberry, and exotic floral tones. Floral, herbal, and downright seductive, this blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre coats the mouth with rich berry tones, deft touches of sandalwood, and garrigue. Expansive and powerful in the mouth, the 2020 Raspail-Ay Gigondas just keeps on coming, delivering a boatload of flavors, all beautifully wrapped in lush tannins. Dominque Ay and family have quite possibly fashioned their greatest wine to date in their superlative 2020 Gigondas. For optimal enjoyment, afford the superb 2020 Raspail-Ay Gigondas at least 20-30 minutes of aeration before consuming it at cool room temperature (58°-60° F). Anticipated maturity: 2023-2030. Enjoy!

Another outstanding effort from Raspail-Ay, the 2020 Domaine Raspail-Ay consistently provides the ideal accompaniment to all kinds of grilled meats, especially lamb and poultry when served Provencal style with rosemary, thyme, garlic and black pepper. Almost anything with tomato works well with Gigondas, too. A glass of Raspail-Ay’s Gigondas with such pairings evoke fond memories of Provence and the sleepy village of Gigondas with its rocky terrain and aromatic “garrigue,” where one inhales the intoxicating scents of rosemary, lavender, flowers, and wild herbs, which infuse the crystalline summer air. In a glass of 2020 Raspail-Ay Gigondas one can be transported to the South of France and taste Provence. Lobster ravioli, duck breast, roast quail, and thick sausage and bean laden cassoulets provide other superb accompaniments to Dominique Ay’s outstanding Gigondas. Cheese and meat lasagna; risotto with sausage and wild herbs; rich pasta dishes made with fresh tomato sauce, garlic and olive oil; and smoked meats and cheeses pair handsomely with Raspail-Ay’s superb Gigondas, too. And if none of the previous pairings appeal to you, consider serving the 2020 Raspail-Ay Gigondas with another Provencal favorite, gourmet pizza, a traditional Provencal staple that the locals claim as their own. Bon Appétit!

Longtime club members are familiar with Domaine Raspail-Ay and Gigondas’ consummate producer of Gigondas, Dominique Ay. We first met Dominique Ay at his rustic domain on a sun-drenched Provencal day more than a quarter of a century ago, and we have been a fan of his brilliant Gigondas ever since. In the last several years, Dominque’s son Christophe and daughter Anne-Sophie have joined with Dominque to fashion truly world-class Gigondas. Not surprisingly, Robert Parker, Jr, and a coterie of wine writers and critics have discovered the Gigondas of Raspail-Ay and constantly sing its praises. It is easy to like Dominique Ay, the serious minded proprietor of Domaine Raspail-Ay, and even easier to be charmed by the warm, seductive Gigondas he coaxes from his 46-acre domain.

Located on the terraces of the rugged Gigondas appellation, the last outcropping of the mighty alpine chain with the imposing rock formation of the Dentelles de Montmirail looming as a backdrop, this classic southern Rhône estate produces each vintage no more than 6,000 cases of a single, superb Gigondas and a tiny quantity of rosé. Although rich and full-flavored, Dominique Ay’s Gigondas also displays elegance and sophistication, elements often missing in the wines of many of his neighbors, and Raspail-Ay’s Gigondas is better for it.

The Gigondas of Domaine Raspail-Ay is an artful blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre that is always ripe, generous, and rich on the palate. One can always count on this estate to fashion a wine with a mouthful of ripe, dark fruits – black cherries, cassis, and raspberries – with tasty notes of licorice and black pepper playing in the background. Curiously, the tannins of this domain’s ethereal Gigondas always appear ripe and supple, too, mellowed no doubt by a hiatus of 20 months in large oak foudres. In addition, Dominique Ay ages his Gigondas several more months in old demi-muids in his refreshingly cool chais. The result is a wine that exhibits ripe, dark fruit aromas and a supple rich texture that belie its 15% plus alcohol content. Miraculously, the fruit in the wine lasts all the way from beginning to end, before exploding in a long, ripe, satisfying finish.

Gigondas and the neighboring Provencal villages of Cairanne, 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, 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 known as the Vaucluse one can even extract blood from stones in the form of a vigorous, deeply colored red wine.