Page 88 - Wine Spectator (January 2020)

2017 and the Northern Rhône at 97 points. Late-release

2016s and early-release 2018s make up most of the remain- GRIGNAN SOUTHERN
der, along with a handful of older bottlings. (A free LES
ADHÉMAR
alphabetical list of scores and prices for all wines tasted is RHÔNE
CÔTES DU
available at WineSpectator.com/ RhoneAlpha022920.) VIVARAIS

VALRÉAS
The Southern Rhône
VINSOBRES
VISAN
he 2017 growing season was marked by a severe spring
frost that affected many of France’s winegrowing ar- ROCHEGUDE RASTEAU ROAIX

T eas. The frost nicked parts of the Ventoux and Côtes
CAIRANNE SÉGURET
du Rhône in the Southern Rhône, but the major AOCs ST.-GERVAIS GIGONDAS SABLET

were not impacted. The real hiccup for the south in 2017 CÔTES DU
CHUSCLAN VACQUEYRAS VIOLÈS RHÔNE
was the hot and windy weather during the flowering.
COURTHEZON
“2017 in the south was a very low crop, because of a bad LAUDUN
BEAUMES-
flowering that really affected the Grenache,” says Louis SARRIANS DE-VENISE
Barruol of Château de St.-Cosme in Gigondas. “The wines LIRAC CHÂTEAUNEUF-
are intense but a touch square or austere. They lack a touch TAVEL DU-PAPE CÔTES DU

of roundness for real balance. But as with ’13, I think they ROQUEMAURE VENTOUX
will be good with a little bit of time. I like low yields, but ESTÉZARGUES AVIGNON
too low and it gets a little rustic because grapes ripen

quickly with low yields. Things need to ripen slowly.”
COSTIÈRES
After the flowering, warm and dry conditions persisted DE NÎMES La Durance
NÎMES
through the summer, so ripening was sped up and uneven. CÔTES DU
LUBERON
In some areas, blockages resulted in rustic tannins. Har- BELLEGARDE
vest started two weeks early on average for most estates. FRANCE

Gigondas, however, experienced slower and later ripen-
ing, with the area’s cooler elevation acting as a moderat- AREA OF
DETAIL
ing influence on the valley’s warm temperatures. When CÔTES DU
RHÔNE N
late-season storms threatened, some producers chose to VILLAGES
0 miles 10
pick early, while others gambled by waiting. That’s where
the vintage was made.
“We decided to wait before picking,” says Benjamin

Gras, who vinified the 2017s at his family’s Domaine Santa
Duc, taking over from his father, Yves. “The bunches were
small, and certain berries were showing signs of concen-

tration, especially the Syrah. At the end of August and
the beginning of September, a few storms circulating in

the region brought us a few millimeters of rain. It was not
much, but just enough to ease the situation. Daytime tem-
peratures dropped, and the nights became cool. The nor-

mal physiological cycle of the vines kicked in again, and
the grapes continued ripening calmly, preserving their

freshness and refining their tannins.”
Gigondas leads the way in 2017, with Barruol’s Château
de St.-Cosme Gigondas Hominis Fides 2017 (96 points,

$138) and Gigondas Le Poste 2017 (96, $138) tying for
top honors among this report’s 2017 Southern Rhône reds.
Other highly rated Gigondas bottlings include Julien

Bréchet’s Domaine des Bosquets Gigondas Le Plateau...
2017 (95, $55) and Gigondas Les Routes... 2017 (95, $75),
along with Gras’ own Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas Les

Hautes Garrigues 2017 (94, $62). Of the 22 Gigondas
wines from 2017 in this report, all earned 90 points or

higher. Other top producers include Pierre Amadieu, MAP: HENRY ENG
Benjamin Gras has taken up the mantle from his father, Yves, at Domaine Santa Duc in the Southern
Delas, Gabriel Meffre and Famille Perrin. Rhône, overcoming a year of challenges in 2017 to deliver a range of highly rated wines.

82 WINE SPECTATOR • JAN. 31 - FEB. 29, 2020