Domaine Giraud Chateauneuf-du-Pape Gallimardes Blanc 2018
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Jeb
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Robert
Parker
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Of the 8 hectares of old vines that Marie and François Giraud farm in Galimardes, a rocky and red clay soil on the road between the villages Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Sorgues, 1 hectare are white varieties – roughly equal parts Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne and Bourboulenc. Each variety is harvested exactly when it is ripe and is gently pressed into tank except the Roussanne which is fermented in French oak demi-muids. After 6 months of aging Marie assembles the final blend. Due to the age of the vines the exact blend changes from vintage to vintage as does the quantity of wine bottled.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Les Gallimardes Blanc, and while it’s made in a fresher, more elegant style than usual, it has a wonderful bouquet of clean white peach, pineapple, and white flowers. Elegant, medium-bodied, with a salty mineral character on the palate, it’s as easy-drinking as they come. Enjoy bottles over the coming 4-5 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc Les Gallimardes is a blend of Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne. The Roussanne goes into oak, while the other varieties do not. Notes of honeyed pineapple mark the nose, while the full-bodied palate is silky yet fresh, finishing round and lush, with a hint of cinnamon.
Other Vintages
2019-
Wine
Spectator
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Jeb
Dunnuck -
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Spectator -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
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Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
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Robert
Parker
In 1998, Pierre was ready to pass on his love of the vine and wine to his children. Marie and François took on the estate hand-in-hand. Under their parents’ watchful eye, they devoted themselves to tending vines and winemaking. They focused their efforts on selecting parcel by parcel, doing minimal treatments, upgrading their cellar to make finer and finer wines while respecting family traditions. François tries hard to tend each parcel and variety respecting the "terroir" as much as possible, that alchemy nature provides us with, to fully express our grapes' full character.
Full-bodied and flavorful, white Rhône blends originate from France’s Rhône Valley. Today these blends are also becoming popular in other regions. Typically some combination of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier form the basis of a white Rhône blend with varying degrees of flexibility depending on the exact appellation. Somm Secret—In the Northern Rhône, blends of Marsanne and Roussanne are common but the south retains more variety. Marsanne, Roussanne as well as Bourboulenc, Clairette, Picpoul and Ugni Blanc are typical.
Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.
According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.
Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.
The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.