The CDP My Wine Industry Peep Liked Better than Janasse and Pegau - The Real Deal

Old School Saint Gayan Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Our Customers Are Going Ape Over His Cult Gigondas
From the King of the Rhone, George "the Greek"
85 Year old Vines, from the Stunning 2010 Vintage

I don't sell much Chateauneuf-du-Pape but when I do one's ears should perk up as it will be noteworthy. The 2012 George Lelektsoglou Chateauneuf-du-Pape "La Bastide" has received rave reviews and rightly so, but this one is, for me, one of the great under the radar traditionally made Chateauneufs out there and that is the just released and very brilliantly old school 2010 St. Gayan Chateauneuf-du-Pape for as little as $37.99 on a 4-pack.  What a glorious Chateauneuf this is. It will be long lived as that is how it is at this estate, but doubly long lived as it is from the mineral, structured and very complete 2010 vintage, which is my favorite CDP vintage since 2001. It is 90% Grenache with the rest being Mourvèdre, Clairette and Syrah. It is aged in old casks and used wood barrels. The nose has so much grainy red fruit along with uplifting minerals and floral hints, that it is the essence of CDP boiled down. Cool minerals finish with licorice and some anise adding complexity to the youthful vigor. So utterly classic with explosive and freshly defined red berry fruit. But there is major structure here and big tannins that need time in the cellar. For drinking now I think a 2 hour decant should do the trick. But this will age oh will it age. Maybe 15-25 years. Easy. This is on the Fass 4-1-3 plan. Buy 4, drink 1 and age 3. It is a blast young as my bottle in February can attest to. What I love about them is they make no deluxe cuvee here it's just old vine CDP. They could make one of they wanted but they did not want to dilute the

A close friend in the wine business whose palate I respect very much went to the InterRhone tasting and that's where everyone shows their wines. He said Janasse, Pegau showed their wines and many other great and famous estates did as well but for him Domaine St. Gayan soared above the rest. It was not even close. Some of you have received the cult Gigondas they make, the In Nominae Patris, that was only sold through me (you can get the normal Gigondas cuvee in the US) and have been thrilled with it. It is an amazing wine. Saint Gayan is so overlooked.  


St. Gayan is an estate that makes wines almost like they do in "ancient times" in that these are the boiled down essences of their respective appellations. And also in that they are not from vineyards that are terraced by man but from places where vines grow naturally and have their own unique and special microclimates. Plus Saint Gayan has ancient vines. The CDP is from vines averaging 85 years old. The In Nominae Patris is 100+ years. Old vines are often touted but not often explained why? Gonon is terrific because of the ancient Syrah vines that they have that separates their wines from many others in the appellation. It's the same at Saint Gayan. The 2010 CDP has that same old vine intensity. That extra dimension that only old vines can bring. Also with Gonon and Gayan and to an extent Chave as well, these are all the same formula. Unassuming low key people, old vines, working hard and shedding blood, sweat and tears into their final product. When I taste Gayan over in France and discuss it it is held in extremely high esteem. But yet it remains a relative value and unheard of in the USA. As far as I know only the Gigondas and maybe a specific Cotes du Rhone Villages is sold here. But, again, another case where the two best wines of an estate, in this case the CDP, are just not available in America for some unknown reason. But as I do here at Fass Selections, I capitalize in the inefficiencies and holes in the market. Also they only make 3,000 bottles or so and everything stays in France as this wine has a following over there.

2010 Saint Gayan Chateauneuf-du-Pape - $39.99 ($151.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)