2016 Montirius Gigondas 'Terre des Aines', Southern Rhone, France

Domaine de Montirius is owned by the fifth generation of winegrowers, Christine and Eric Saurel, who took over the family estate in 1986. They are one of the stars of Vacqueyras & Gigondas. They cover different appellations in the Southern Rhône: Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Côtes du Rhône. Following their personal life path and their decisive meeting with François Bouchet (bio-dynamic winemaker from the Loire) in 1996, they converted their estate into biodynamic and invested in the construction of a winery: concrete vats built with informed water so that the cellar vibrates at the same frequency as the location. Why do we like it? The secret to their great wines: labour-intensive and rigorous, low-yielding old vines on optimal soil provide the perfect raw materials, and a careful three week maceration allows the full expression of the terroir. Their patient methodology is rewarded with superb expressions of terroir. The Terre des Aines is made from 74 year-old vines and aged in concrete tanks for 2 years. It has a meaty and savoury nose, with lots of wild plums and blueberries on the palate. Touch of spice, licorice and violet, the wine is showing great level of fresh freshness for its age. 2016 was a remarkable vintage and it shows.  Grape            80% Grenache & 20% Mourvedre Country        France                                  Region          Southern Rhone                          Vintage         2016