Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Grenaches De Pierre Giraud (Domaine) 2012

Lot presentation

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Grenaches De Pierre Giraud (Domaine) 2012

The wine

François and Marie Giraud wanted to use this cuvée to pay homage to their father, who always gave his all to his venerable Grenache wines. It was therefore a straightforward decision to dedicate this harmonious, elegant and powerful cuvée to him. In the vineyards, the grapes are picked in several passes to ensure their optimum maturity. Depending on the vintage, the harvest may be completely destemmed. The extraction methods are gentle; fermentation lasts between three weeks and one month, with low temperatures at the beginning. Elevage is in concrete vats for one and a half years. After that, the wines are bottled without fining or filtration to preserve the intensity of the aromas. A real wine for keeping, after 20 years it will reveal a blood-red colour, and a powerful nose of jammy (even candied) fruits and tobacco. On the palate, its power and character are unveiled in a creamy way. There is a real sensation of stewed fruits, sublimated by floral touches and aromatic herbs. A beautiful organic certified wine to be enjoyed with a duck breast with foie gras.

Pierre Giraud and his wife Mireille, the parents of François and Marie who now run the domaine, set up shop in 1974 on rented land. Pierre's mother, Eliane was an Armenier, a family of winemakers based in Châteauneuf for six centuries (known today as Domaine de Marcoux). To begin with, the Girauds sold their grapes to negoçiants but in 1982 they took the plunge and built their own winery. In 1987, the four members of the family shared out the vines and Mireille and Pierre also inherited another eight hectares of vines, some aged over 100 years. It was only in 1998 that Pierre Giraud started bottling and selling his wine and Domaine Giraud was born. Mireille and Pierre began their oenology studies this same year too and over time, with the help of their parents, they took over the running of the domaine. In 2001, the family invested in new equipment for the vinifications. The now 19 hectares are spread out over the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation in the La Crau, Les Terres Blanches, Les Gallimardes and Pignan (close to Rayas) lieux-dits.