Baltasis sausas
Fermentation: 40 % in demi-muids, 50% in small casks and 10% in tanks. Ageing on the lees. Dried apricot, linden, white flowers and papaya.
The wine is relatively aromatic – roughly on a par with Clairette – and develops scents of marshmallow, watermelon, pear and white flowers. On the palate, the acidity is forward or even slightly disjointed. There is great palatability. Incorporating the aptly named Saint Côme into our collection of white varieties is a worthwhile experience because it takes us back to the pre-phylloxera world of heirloom grape varieties.
Serve at 16-18 °C with courgette-pumpkin pasta with cheese sauce, roast lamb or roast rabbit.
Château de Saint Cosme is the leading estate of Gigondas and produces the appellation’s benchmark wines. Wine has been produced on the site of Saint Cosme since Roman times, evident by the ancient Gallo-Roman vats carved into the limestone below the château. The property has been in the hands of Louis Barruol’s family since 1490. Henri and Claude Barruol took over in 1957 and gradually moved Saint Cosme away from the bulk wine business. Henri was one of the first in the region to work organically beginning in the 1970s. Louis Barruol took over from his father in 1992, making a dramatic shift to quality, adding a négociant arm to the business in 1997, and converting to biodynamics in 2010. The estate is in the heart of Gigondas where 15 hectares of vineyard grow in the shade of the Dentelles de Montmirail. The limestone that distinguishes Gigondas from other southern Rhône appellations is visible on the jagged cliffs of the Dentelles. In addition to Gigondas and the old-vine selection Gigondas Valbelle, three single-vineyard Gigondas are produced: Hominis Fides, Le Claux, and Le Poste. Louis Barruol owns an additional 10 hectares of vineyard in Violès outside of Gigondas to produce Les Deux Albions Blanc IGP.