2023 Gour de Chaulé Gigondas Les Jardinières .1871

“The most balanced and transparent wine in the range, the 2023 Les Jardinières is showing superbly this year. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of blood orange, elderflower, violets, peonies and dark cherries, it’s medium- to full-bodied, deep and seamless, with a fleshy yet vibrant core of fruit and beautifully integrated tannins. Concluding with a long, perfumed and ethereal finish, this is one of the vintage’s most complete and characterful renditions of Gigondas.

At Domaine Gour de Chaulé, Paul Fumoso has begun to reshape this century-old estate with a precision and discipline that increasingly distinguish it within Gigondas. The domaine farms 10 hectares of old-vine Grenache, rooted in a complex patchwork of Triassic marls, sandy limestone and red clays. Viticulture is certified organic, with treatments limited to copper and sulfur. Biodiversity is encouraged through hedgerows, limited tillage and thoughtful canopy management. Most vines are trained en gobelet, and yields rarely exceed 32 hectoliters per hectare.

Harvest is carried out by hand into small crates, with rigorous sorting in the vineyard and again at the cellar. Fermentations proceed in concrete vats with native yeasts, and depending on stem maturity, 60% to 80% of the fruit remains whole cluster. Extraction is measured: remontage and occasional délestage replace punch-downs, with cuvaisons extending up to 30 days. Malolactic fermentations unfold naturally, and sulfur is withheld until their completion.

Élevage varies by cuvée. The Gigondas Tradition matures for up to two years in large foudres and concrete, while La Numéro 8 and 7 Le Gour—two pure Grenache cuvées drawn from centenarian vines—see élevage in concrete eggs. New oak is excluded, fining and filtration are avoided and sulfur additions are kept to a minimum. Fumoso also insists on scrupulous hygiene, convinced that volatile phenols and microbiological deviation undermine terroir expression.

The resulting wines speak with new clarity: structurally elegant yet fresh and lifted, they mark a more transparent vision of Gigondas. With his thoughtful revisions in the cellar and deep commitment to viticulture, Paul Fumoso is positioning Domaine Gour de Chaulé among the most compelling addresses in the Southern Rhône today.”