Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Poste

Gigondas Le Poste bottle image

Wine Description

Château de Saint Cosme is the leading estate of Gigondas and produces the benchmark wines of the appellation. The property has been in the hands of the Barruol family since 1490. Louis Barruol took over from his father in 1992 making a dramatic shift to quality and converting to biodynamics in 2010.

Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Poste is from a 1-hectare terraced vineyard that sits near the chapel of Saint Cosme, a short uphill climb from the winery. The maximum elevation is 280 meters, 140 meters above the Gigondas valley floor, and is one of the coolest vineyards in Gigondas. The terraces and elevation make it necessary to plow the vineyard by horse.

The vineyard was replanted in 1963 by Henri Barruol to a field blend based mainly on Grenache and one small parcel of Clairette from which Le Poste Blanc is produced. The wine is made with whole cluster fermentation from indigenous yeasts, aged in 20% new 228-liter barrels, and bottled without fining or filtering. Only six barrels are produced each year.

Saint Cosme Stone Sign
Chapel de Saint Cosme
WInemaker Louis Barruol
Oak Barrels
Chai de Saint Cosme
Aerial View of Chapel de Saint Cosme
Winemaker Louis Barruol
Le Poste Vineyards and Dentelles de Montmirail
Father and Son, Henry and Louis Barruol
Gigondas Bottle
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Acclaim
A massive wine, this starts out with a voluptuous, generous well of black cherry, anise and plum puree that soon reveals a simmering layer of molten iron. Serious and brooding, with savory, smoky power and bitterness, yet this shows finesse and beautiful integration. The powerful black tea tannins are built to go the distance and need a bit of time to mellow out. A blockbuster. — Wine Spectator, Nov 2024
“The 2022 Gigondas le Poste is derived from vines planted on the limestone, marl soils of lieu-dit Le Poste, near the Saint Cosme chapel. Revealing a floral, elegant bouquet of iris, violet, pepper, licorice and dark cherries, it's full-bodied, tense and crystalline with a sappy, layered texture framed by sweet, velvety tannins, concluding with a long, delicately peppery finish. Matured 20% in new casks, 50% in one-year-old barrels and the rest in two-year-old barrels, this 100% Grenache is a real success.” — Wine Advocate, Oct 2024
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Le Poste
Vineyard size
2 acres
Soil composition
Calcareous
Training method
Gobelet
Elevation:
990 feet
Yield/acre:
0.1 tons
Exposure:
Northwestern
Year vineyard planted:
1963
First vintage of this wine:
2006
Bottles produced of this wine:
2,000
Certifying Organizations:
Ecocert
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Grenache
Fermentation container:
wooden vats
Fining agent:
None
Type of aging container:
Barrels
Size of aging container:
228 Liters
Length of aging before bottling:
12 months
Age of Aging Container:
20% new
Total SO2
47
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.86
Acidity:
2.87 g/L
Alcohol:
15.6 %
Dry extract:
33.1 g/L
Total SO2
47
Residual sugar:
0.97 g/L