Domaine du Cayron Gigondas 2020

Domaine du Cayron is a historic, fifth generation 40-acre estate in Gigondas run by three women: sisters Roseline, Cendrine and Delphine. Most of the Cayron vineyards are found at an altitude of 300-400 meters, sitting in the shadow of the formidable Dentelles de Montmirail, where only about 25% of the Gigondas appellation is found. The family embodies the concept of one domaine, one wine, wherein all of the grapes from the 60+ year old vines go into one single cuvee. Fermented in concrete tanks built into the floor of the winery, the wine is then aged for two years in large oak foudres that date back more than 50 years (so the wines do not have that modern oaky taste). The sisters have an uncanny ability to transmit the aromas and flavors of garrigue (the mix of herbs that grow wild in the south of France) more clearly that perhaps any other winery in the region. The vin de garde’s unique profile speaks so clearly of place, it can only be seen as the true embodiment of the term “terroir-driven wine”. Always affable and delightfully energetic, the sisters are too humble to admit what is clear to all who enjoy their wines: this is one of the finest properties in all of the Rhone. 

“The ultra-traditional wines that the Faraud sisters, Delphine, Roseline and Cendrine, produce at their family’s domaine are among the most classically proportioned, elegant and complex of the appellation. They also age effortlessly, as extensive research has proven to me. A single, unadorned wine is made here, and it is raised exclusively in large concrete vats and old oak foudres. The value that it delivers is truly amazing given its consistently high quality, which places it among the finest wines not just of Gigondas but of France.” -Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media, February 2020

• Practicing organic, 100% whole cluster, indigenous yeasts, unfined, unfiltered
• 78% Grenache, 14% Syrah, 6% Cinsault, 2% Mourvèdre
• 300-400 meters altitude (only 20% of Gigondas is at this altitude) on clay-limestone with southeast exposure
  
  Look for red berry and cherry preserve aromas with garrigue, smoked meat and candied flower nuances. Sappy and penetrating on the palate, offering primary black raspberry, bitter cherry and spiced cake flavors that show superb depth and focus. Gently gripping tannins build slowly on the impressively long, energetic finish, which leaves behind intense floral and red berry notes.