Gigondas Raspail-Ay 1997

Lot presentation

Gigondas Raspail-Ay 1997

The wine

From traditional growth inspired by organic principles, this Gigondas is a masterful blend of Grenache Noir, Syrah, and Mourvèdre grown on clay-chalk soil that is lightly sloping and exposed to the east. After maturing for 14-18 months in large, old barrels, this wine (that can be aged for a good decade) has a ruby colour and an intense bouquet of mature, black fruits and black pepper. Its palate delights with its fullness and exceptional persistence. It is undeniably a gastronomic wine that will pair wonderfully with game or marinated beef.

Tended by the same family for seven generations, Domaine Raspail-Ay has been run by Dominique’s children, Anne-Sophie and Christophe since 2020. The estate extends over almost 19 hectares in Gigondas, in the southern Rhône Valley. The vineyard parcels form a single contiguous holding surrounding the estate, just below the village, where soils of clay and limestone, are strewn with sand and small stones. Vineyard plantings are dominated by Grenache Noir (75%), complemented by Syrah and Mourvèdre. Just under one hectare is devoted to white grape varieties, including Clairette, Picpoul and Bourboulenc, with the inaugural vintage scheduled for 2025. The vines average 50 years in age. Annual production is approximately 60,000 bottles.
Following manual harvesting and rigorous sorting in both the vineyard and the winery, the grapes are fully destalked before spending around one month in enamel-lined concrete vats for fermentation. The wines are then aged for 18 to 24 months in large seasoned oak vessels ranging from 40 to 130 hectolitres.
In the glass, they are powerful, intense, fleshy and generous. In short, these are wines that faithfully capture the character of the Gigondas terroir. We recommend laying these wines down for a few years, if you can resist the temptation. In the finest vintages, they will continue to reward patience for 15 to 20 years.