Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gaston-Philippe, Château de la Gardine 2011

Top class Châteauneuf-du-Pape in its prime drinking window

48 hectares of vines are planted for Chateau de la Gardine's Chateauneuf-du-Pape blends on a mix of gravel, loam, limestone and pebble soils.
The blend comprises 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre and 20% Syrah from some of the Chateau's oldest vines.
This wine is generous and ripe with black fruit, exotic spice, roasted coffee and perfumed notes of violet.
Decant for one to two hours prior to consumption and serve with classic meat dishes or hearty vegetarian fare.
The property has been making wine on this site since at least the 1700s.

Grape variety: Syrah(Shiraz), Mourvèdre (Mataro), Grenache(Garnacha)
Vintage: 2011
Type/Colour: Red
Alcohol: 15%
Bottle Size: 75cl
Group: Rhône
Suitable for Vegans: Yes
Suitable for Vegetarians: Yes
Sustainable: Yes

"A blend of one third 60-90 years old vine Grenache, one third Mourvèdre and one third Syrah, this is a very serious Chateauneuf. It is produced from vines grown on three different types of soils - Alpine Diluvian soils (containing the classic Galet round stones), giving the wines backbone and structure, Urgonian limestones, essential for minerality and sandy-clay soils from the Miocene, for finesse and elegance. A highly complex wine and a triumph for the Brunel Brothers." - John Livingstone-Learmonth - The Wines of the Rhone.

Since purchasing the estate with its original 10 hectares of vines, the Brunel family has managed to grow the vineyards into their current 52 hectare size today. Currently, Chateau de la Gardine is managed by Marie-Odile Brunel. While most estates in Chateauneuf du Pape have vines spread out over the appellation, that is not the case with Chateau de la Gardine as most of their vineyards are next to each other in the north-west section of the appellation. The 52 hectare vineyard of Chateau de la Gardine has a terroir of gravel, loam, limestone and pebble soil. The oldest vines were planted in 1925 and 4 hectares are reserved for the white wine. The wines of Chateau de la Gardine are aged in a combination of small, French oak barrels and foudres.