Peter Morrell tastes this powerful red from the well-respected family run Domaine Brusset in the Rhône Valley
On this family estate established in 1947, the Brusset family has managed to combine the “savoir faire” of traditional winemaking with the new techniques introduced by each generation. The founder, André Brusset (1910-1999), his son Daniel, and his grand-son Laurent.
The Family Philosophy is perpetuated and can be summarized as follows: to privilege the best expression of each terroir – working the soil by numerous ploughings in the greatest respect of our vineyards – severe disbudding and green harvesting ensure low yields.
Domaine Brusset is located in the heart of the southern Côtes-du-Rhône valley vineyards, at Cairanne.
With a total of 70 hectares, their vineyards extend over the lands of 5 prestigious appellations: Gigondas, Cairanne, Rasteau, Côtes-du-Rhône and Ventoux.
They grow many noble grape varieties. For red wines and rosés: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Carignan, White Grenache, Viognier, Roussanne, Clairette for their white wines.
I have been tasting their Tradition le Grand Montmirail 2021 Gigondas, which is made from a blend of four grapes, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault. The wine has no yeast added, it is fermented in vats for 21 days, and is subjected to twice daily ‘pigeages’ or punch downs. Pigeage is the process of pushing down the cap, or grape skins that float on the surface, back into the juice. This helps to extract colour, tannins, flavours and aromas into the wine. 60 % of the wine is matured in vats and 40 % in 2 to 4 years old ‘demi-muids’, 600 litre barrels.
The wine pours a dark red colour, verging on purple. The bouquet is very complex with dark cherry and bramble aromas to the fore. On the palate, the wine is medium to full bodied, the dark fruit persists and is joined by peppery spices, with earthy tastes, and hints of tobacco and liquorice. There is some minerality in the mix, and the tannins are silky smooth. The finish is strong with lots of lingering fruit flavours.
I liked this wine a lot, it would be the perfect match for steak, red meat casseroles, and cheese like Stilton.
The Tradition le Grand Montmirail 2021 Gigondas can be consumed now or be kept for 8-10 years, it is available from good wine merchants in the UK
For more information visit https://www.domainebrusset.fr/en/
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