Domaine Les Pallières - Gigondas Les Racines 2009

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

Described as a “superb vineyard garden, nestled against the Dentelles de Montmirail,” the Les Pallières estate—owned by the Brunier family and the renowned Kermit Lynch—produces, vintage after vintage, the appellation’s finest Gigondas wines. Facing due north, no fewer than 110 hectares are planted with Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, Clairette, and Bourboulenc, with a very high limestone content. The Les-Terrasses-du-Diable cuvée comes from the higher-altitude plots, while Les-Racines comes from the vines surrounding the old farmhouse, where the soil is more clay-rich.

Guide des Vins Gault & Millau

About the estate:

Frédéric and Daniel Brunier (Vieux Télégraphe) have been cultivating these 25 hectares of vineyards since 1998. The vineyards are situated on the northern slope of the Dentelles de Montmirail and planted with old Grenache vines (80%), as well as Surah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Clairette. On this sloping terroir, partially covered with limestone scree and featuring a sandy-clay topsoil, the solution involves creating "stepped terraces" to form a series of horizontal levels that can be plowed and are capable of retaining rainwater.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

Under the name Vignobles Brunier, we have brought together the estates of Vieux Télégraphe, La Roquète (renamed Accent de La Roquète starting with the 2011 vintage), and Les Pallières in Gigondas, all of which are owned by the Brunier brothers. Three benchmark estates. The splendid pebbles of La Crau, a warm terroir, are the source of the distinctive character of Vieux Télégraphe’s wines. The estate produces a significant and unique cuvée there, of great consistency. Grapes that are lightly or not at all destemmed, aged in old casks, yield rich wines that require long aging to mellow their intensity. From then on, they regain all the minerality of this superb terroir. Located in the center of the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the vineyard is mainly planted on the Pielong plateau and in the sandier Pignan district. La Roquète, meanwhile, became L’Accent de La Roquète in 2011, produced from the finest grapes. The wines are always straightforward and pure, more elegant than imposing. The rest is blended into the Le Télégramme cuvée, a newcomer to the French market. And finally, the Les Pallières estate, a magnificent Gigondas vineyard situated on terraces beneath the Dentelles de Montmirail. The wine expresses itself in a deep, structured style without heaviness.