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So, you like Chateauneuf du Pape? GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre) wines? Then you got to know about Gigondas. Gigondas is a beautiful village north east of Chateauneuf. Sheltered by the jagged Dentelles de Montmirail, this is one of the treasured spots for Grenache.  Gigondas derives its name from Jocundas which is Latin for  Joy!

I am using my imagination here but I would like to think this is how it happened. One day in circa long time ago, the Romans wandered into the foothills of the Dentelles des Montmirailes. Gazed from a distance, the jagged crown of the mountains reminded them of lace. True, the edges of these mountains were worn down with time. Hence the name “Dentelles”.

Like any traveler today, what struck the ancient Romans was the joy that this place instilled in one’s heart. Jocundas the Roman called it . Joy. Jocundas. Gigondas. The place fills you with unabashed joy. Sheltered under the Dentelles, the vines grow with the same sense of joyfulness that permeates this place. I have always associated the wines of Gigondas as happy wines. They are celebratory. There are no white wines in Gigondas. They are all red and a wee bit of rosés. The reds are mostly a blend of Grenache and Syrah with a fair amount of Mourvedre thrown in. Grapes have been grown here since the Roman times. The wines here literally reflect the land. The term garrigue is referred to the wines here a lot.  Garrigue is the brush that grows in these semi-arid parts.

It is as if the landscape decided to be part of the wine. Garrigue, thyme, lavender, smoke, minerals, forest floor, earthy- these are common descriptors of wines here 

The soil around these mountains are all limestone. Also, the vineyards are sheltered from the morning sun and the grapes ripen slow at a leisurely Provencal pace. All this gives the wines of Grenache finesse, power and an incredible ability to age.

That brings up the wines of Véronique Cunty and Domaine de Font-Sane.