Domaine Guillaume Gilles 2020 Cotes du Rhone, Les Peyrouses, AOC

Item Number: 18843

UPC: None

Country: France
Region: Rhone
Sub Region: Northern Rhone
Appellation/AVA: Cotes du Rhone AOC
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vineyard Designation: Les Peyrouses
Vintage: 2020
Grape(s): Syrah
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Sand and clay beneath river rocks
Elevation: 600 meters

Terroir Notes: Hailing from the flats just to the east of the Cornas appellation, the Les Peyrouses Rouge is a remarkable and unique wine: pure Syrah planted in the 1870s, during phylloxera’s initial outbreak, and in fact comprising the very first grafted vines in the area. The soil in this vineyard is a mix of sand and clay, with loads of large limestone pudding-stones, and the wine Guillaume coaxes from these astonishingly old vines is so powerful in its fruit that he gives it 12 months élévage instead of 18. (Also, as a testament to its sheer power, he always presents it after his Cornas during visits to his cellar.)

Harvest: Manual
Stems: Yes; whole bunches
Yeast: Native
Fermentation: Concrete vats; racked off lees after
Aging: 12 months in neutral demi-muids
Fining: None
Filtering: None

Northern Rhône 2020 Vintage Notes by Wine Spectator 2/28/2023: “96pts - 'Classic' is the word many producers are using to describe the north in 2020, citing a return to the more elegant, perfumed, finessed style the region is famous for. One of the earliest harvests on record, with cooler nights allowing Syrah to ripen evenly and retain freshness. Despite record-setting heat and drought, the wines show classic elegance and finesse. Silky tannins mean early drinking pleasure, while good acidity and structure mean ageability. A truly great year for both reds and whites.”